The start of a new year can sometimes feel overwhelming. If you, or someone you know, is struggling with stress, anxiety, low mood or loneliness, local help is available.

The NottAlone website has mental health advice and links to free local support for adults, young people and children in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. It also has helpful advice and information for anyone worried about a loved one or colleague too.

If you’ve decided to make a healthy lifestyle change this New Year, you don’t need to do it alone.

Your Health Notts can help anyone living in Nottinghamshire, including children, young people, adults and families, to get more active, lose weight and quit smoking. They also provide falls prevention support for older adults and a family weight management service.

Visit their website for more information on these services and how to sign up.

The Dry January challenge is an annual campaign run by Alcohol Change UK encouraging everyone to go alcohol-free for the month.

There are many benefits to giving up alcohol including more energy, better sleep, and improved concentration and memory. A few weeks without alcohol is also great for your immune system.

It’s not too late to sign up. Download the free Try Dry® app to track your progress and stay motivated with tips, inspiration and support.

If you’d like some local help, Change Grow Live offer a free and confidential, alcohol advice, support and recovery service in Nottinghamshire.

If you use an open fire or stove, it’s important to know how to burn safely. Burning the wrong type of fuels, such as wet wood or house coal, releases tiny harmful particles in smoke into the air that could damage your health.

Stay safe by only burning seasoned wood or manufacturer recommended fuels with the ‘Ready to Burn’ logo and never let your fire smoulder overnight. Have a skilled tradesperson clean and maintain your appliance regularly.

Visit the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) website for more information on how to burn better.

Ollerton Town FC has signed up to our new Smokefree Sidelines initiative, in partnership with Nottingham City Council and the Nottinghamshire Football Association.

Smokefree Sidelines aims to promote healthier grassroots football by discouraging smoking and vaping at children’s football matches to protect young people from harm.

We’re encouraging as many clubs as possible to sign up to Smokefree Sidelines, to help us create a more positive environment for children, young people and families to enjoy the game, free from the harmful effects of smoking. Clubs that sign up will receive a free Smokefree Sidelines kit to show their support including footballs, bibs, bags, posters and pavement boards.

Visit the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Smoking and Tobacco Alliance (NNSTA) website to find out more about Smokefree Sidelines and how to get involved.

The NHS’s vaccination programme is being expanded to include chickenpox (also known as varicella) for the first time to help shield young children from getting seriously ill.

Chickenpox is a common infection in children that spreads easily. It is usually mild but it can lead to serious complications that need hospitalisation, including chest infections and fits.

From now on, GP practices will start to offer children a combined MMRV vaccine at 12 months and 18 months of age to add chickenpox to the protections against measles, mumps and rubella. This replaces the existing MMR vaccine.

If your child is eligible, your GP will contact you to when it’s time to make an appointment.

The Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SoBS) charity offers peer-to-peer support to people over the age of 18 who have been impacted by suicide loss.

It helps those bereaved by suicide to support each other at the time of their loss, and in the months and years that follow. It is a self-help organisation which provides a safe and confidential environment in which bereaved people can share their experiences and feelings, whilst giving and gaining support.

If you have been bereaved by suicide for more than two years and are over the age of 18, the charity is looking for people with your experience to help strengthen their volunteer team across Nottinghamshire. Opportunities are available in peer-led support groups (West Bridgford and Bassetlaw) or in their support line team. They are particularly looking for new volunteers to help start new support groups in Newark, Mansfield and Toton.

To find out more about volunteering, please email central.coordinatator@uksobs.org