Small Good Stuff
The “Connect for Health” team in Suffolk use the Small Good Stuff directory to connect people with local community support.
Small Good Stuff is a national resource, with over 2,100 listings, including specific pages for Suffolk where Community Catalysts Community Interests Company (CIC) have been running a development programme.
Connect for Health
In Ipswich and East Suffolk, the charity Shaw Trust delivers social prescribing support through their Community Connector teams, (known as Connect for Health). Many people are referred due to isolation and loneliness, wanting companionship, especially in more rural areas.
A lot of our referrals are for people in isolated areas who are limited by transport and health conditions from leading independent lives. Sometimes people just want another heartbeat in the house.
Community micro-enterprises
Since 2022, Community Catalysts CIC and Suffolk County Council have supported the development of community micro-enterprises across the county, offering personalised care and support within local communities.
The focus is on offering care and support to people within their own homes such as personal care, companionship, housework, attending activities or going shopping, and much more!
There are now 150 local community micro-enterprises featured on Suffolk’s Small Good Stuff webpage.
One of them is Lenka Bashford who launched HandS Help and Support in 2025 with support from the Community Catalysts project. Lenka now supports local people like Rosie, helping her reconnect with activities and groups in her neighbourhood and regain the “spring back in her step.”
The range of support the enterprises deliver is of a gold standard, because the offer is so broad. I have found the Small Good Stuff directory easy to use, helping me identify support more easily.
As enterprise leaders are rooted in their local communities, they are often able to build trusted and consistent relationships with the people they support.
The Small Good Stuff (SGS) directory helps people and professionals find personalised local support closer to home, which has been incredibly valuable to the Community Connector Teams at Shaw Trust.
The ‘localness’ of the Small Good Stuff directory means the people running the enterprises know their patch and as demonstrated by the above example, the local population. Enterprises that are listed on Small Good Stuff help deliver that extra bit of care and attention, especially for those socially isolated who are starved of human contact, alongside needing jobs doing around the house.
A great directory that I use a lot!
The work in Suffolk shows how community-led support and social prescribing can work together to tackle isolation and improve wellbeing close to home.
Linda's life transformed
Connect for Health received five referrals for a 78-year-old woman who had numerous mobility and physical difficulties. Finding the right support for her was key to enable her to engage and stay connected.
