Blossome, Colchester (2026)

10/01/2026

Slow Stitching
📆Saturday 10th January
🕒3-5 pm
📍Berryfields Cafe, Firstsite

Everyone is welcome to join us for slow stitching, a mindful activity that helps us to pause,
To slow everything down,
One stitch
One breath
At a time.

No experience is necessary.
And you can just come for tea and cake if you don’t watch to stitch.

This is an opportunity to connect with others who understand the heartache of being affected by someone else’s drinking, drug use, gambling or any addiction.

Stitch an anonymous message onto a square, something that you’d like to express. That square is then stitched together with all of the others forming a community art piece, showing eachother we are not alone, and showing others the impact that addiction has on the whole family.

Take this time for you.

Prebook to help us with knowing how many are coming, or just show up at 3pm if that is easier. 🤗

https://www.blossome.support/event/slow-stitching-3-2-2/2026-01-10/

07/01/2026

Are you a widow? What do you most want to hear right now?

If you’ve lost your partner, you may not want advice.
You may not want encouragement.
You may not even want hope.

You might just want someone to say:
“Of course this hurts.”
“Anyone in your place would feel this way.”
“You don’t have to be strong right now.”

Self-compassion isn’t about feeling better.
It’s about not being alone with what hurts.

Sometimes the most healing words aren’t spoken by others —
they’re the ones we learn to offer ourselves, quietly, in moments when the world has moved on but our hearts haven’t.

Self-compassion for Widows
A 9-week journey - time for YOU.
Date: Starting Saturday 10th January
Time: 10am -12pm
Location: The Tree Room, 12 Trinity St, Colchester CO1 1JN

This is a small, supportive programme for widows — offered slowly, gently, and with deep respect for grief.
If you’d like to explore what that looks like, you can find the details here, or contact Kim on 07900136598. We can chat over a cuppa.

https://www.blossome.support/event/self-compassion-for-widows/2026-01-10/

05/01/2026

Take a moment to look at this image.
Notice where your attention is drawn.

Which emotion feels closest right now?

Our emotional lives aren’t neat or linear, they’re layered, shifting, and often more like a living system than a problem to solve.

January often arrives with a quiet (or not so quiet) wish:

“I want this year to feel better.”

Happier.
Less reactive.
Less overwhelming.

Emotional regulation is our ability to be with our emotions without getting lost in them, without pushing them away, judging ourselves for having them, or feeling consumed by them.

Grief.
Worry.
Sadness.
Anger.
Fear.
Guilt.
Shame.
Resentment.
Envy.
Jealousy.
Dread.
Anxiety.
Loneliness.
Frustration.

Sometimes emotions unfold gently.
Sometimes they arrive all at once.

And when you love someone who is struggling with addiction, emotions can feel especially intense — tangled, exhausting, and hard to make sense of. Many people tell me they feel worn down, confused, or unsure how to care for themselves while still caring deeply about someone else.

What most of us were never taught is this:

Emotional regulation isn’t about fixing or controlling emotions.
It’s about learning how to relate to them differently.

This is where self-compassion can help.

Self-compassion gives us practical, evidence-based ways to:
• Stay present with difficult emotions
• Respond rather than react
• Soften harsh self-judgment
• Support ourselves while things are still messy

It doesn’t make emotions disappear.
But it can change how alone we feel with them.

If this new year finds you longing for more emotional steadiness, resilience, and kindness toward yourself - especially if life feels heavy right now - Blossome upcoming programmes are designed to gently support exactly this.

No fixing.
No forcing.
Just learning how to be with yourself with more care.

If you’d like to know more, feel free to message or comment below 🌸

Cultivating self-compassion
(For anyone affected by someone’s addiction)
https://www.blossome.support/cultivating-self-compassion/

Self-compassion for Widows
(All widows, not just by addiction)
https://www.blossome.support/event/self-compassion-for-widows/2026-01-10/

03/01/2026

Tuesday 6th January is the start of our Self-Care for Grieving Hearts Programme: Winter Edition (January–March)

Winter is a season of slowing down, turning inward, and conserving energy.

In nature, winter is not a time of visible growth, it is a time of rest, repair, and quiet preparation.

Grief often places us in an internal winter of our own.

This programme is intentionally designed to align with the winter months. It does not ask you to push, perform, or “move on.” Instead, it offers practices that support:

🌸nervous system regulation

🌸gentle expression

🌸rest and reflection

🌸connection without pressure

As the days slowly lengthen from January to March, this journey mirrors that natural shift, from grounding and stabilising, toward cautious re-emergence and renewed connection.

With the push for New Years resolutions and progress... know that you are not behind. You are exactly where winter asks you to be.

What: Self-care for Grieving Hearts
When: Every Tuesday for 12 weeks
Time: 7 pm - 9 pm
Where: Frinton & Walton and Frinton Yacht Club & RYA Training Centre, Walton-on-the-Naze

If this resonates, there is one space still available on the programme, and it is for you. We would love to have you on this journey with us. Apply for your free space.

https://www.blossome.support/self-care-programmes/12-week-self-care/

Thanks to Essex Recovery Foundation for funding this programme, helping us support families affected by a loved one's drinking, drug use, gambling or any addiction.

02/01/2026

Hello 2026. ✨
Everything is easier and more fun together.
Together, we can do anything. 🙌

If you are worried about someone’s drinking, drug use, gambling or any addiction - the one thing you can control is how you look after yourself.

There will come a point, when you start falling apart or when you’ve lost so much of yourself, that you realise you need to take care of yourself. Please don’t wait until that point. Start today.

And we are right here for you, by your side. 🤗

Join the Blossome community. 🌸
https://www.blossome.support/self-care-community/

01/01/2026

Our hearts are full ❤️🌸❤️
We had a truly beautiful Big Dip and when I asked for help, people really did show up.

Thank you to everyone who dug deep and found the courage to step into the cold North Sea - only 6 degrees. What you did took bravery, trust, and a willingness to meet discomfort together. Resilience building at its best.

Thank you to every volunteer who gave their time, care, and steady presence to make the day run smoothly and feel so full of heart. Thank you to everyone who donated, everyone who bought a ticket, and everyone who came along simply to support and be there.

Thank you to so many beach hut owners who let us borrow their huts. They add care and comfort to the day. ❤️

Thank you, Walton-on-the-Naze for showing up as a community. Your presence helped more than you know.

This event isn’t only about fundraising. It’s also about visibility.

The people Blossome supports are hidden - living quietly in shame and silence because of someone else’s addiction. Our hope is that by seeing us gather like this, they might realise they’re not alone, and feel able to step out of the dark and into the Blossome community 🤗

This was our third year of The Big Dip. Each year it grows.
But this year, more than anything, we felt community and that’s what made it so special.

Huge thanks to Rob Woolf and Geoff Taylor for capturing the moments so beautifully. We’ll be sharing a full gallery soon. 📸

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. 💙🌊

We will post the link for next years event soon. Book early for early bird rates and best chance at time in the sauna!

Please give to this years campaign. 👇
https://www.blossome.support/campaign/the-big-dip-6/

31/12/2025

🚨 Final call to join us for The Big Dip on New Year's Day!

Start the new year in an unforgettable way. Feel the clarity that comes from a clear head, burst of energy and a renewed sense of confidence to make the new year a great one.

Take part in a cold water dip on 1st January 2026, and raise money for Blossome CIC. All proceeds help fund self-care activities and programmes for families affected by someone else’s drinking, drug use, gambling or any addiction.

Book your ticket for an unforgettable way to start the new year 👇

https://vist.ly/4k89u

31/12/2025

Join us for the Big Breakfast 🥞🥓
At The Big Dip fundraiser on New Years Day

10.30 am Hot drinks available
11.30 am cold water dip to watch
12.00 am Pancakes served

£15 for pancakes, maple syrup, fresh fruit, hit berry compote bacon and bottomless hot drinks.

on the Naze
Southcliff promenade

We will even entertain you …
Enjoy watching people dip in the cold North Sea while you warm your hands on your warm cuppa. Coffee, tea and hot chocolate will be served.

All money goes to selfcare programmes and activities for families affected by a loved one’s drinking drug use, gambling or any addiction.

Please book your ticket in advance to help us cater to the right numbers 😊

Select the breakfast only ticket
https://www.blossome.support/event/big-dip/

31/12/2025

Start the new year with a clear head, burst of energy and an unforgettable experience ✨

Join us on New Year's Day for our annual event The Big Dip!

Registration: 10.30
Toes in: 11.30
Breakfast: 12 pm

This means you get a little more time to rest before joining us or you can also do a NYD ParkRun.

Please book your tickets through the link below and help us raise important funds for Blossome.

https://vist.ly/4k77y

We are excited to see you all (plus your friends and family who are more than welcome to watch and join us for breakfast) tomorrow 💛

30/12/2025

There is still time to join us for THE BIG DIP 🌅
Registration & Drinks: 10.30 am
Toes in: 11.30 am
Pancakes. 12 pm

Start your year the brave way and join us as we gather at Walton-on-the-Naze for our annual Big Dip, a resilience building, sea dip followed by a warming breakfast.

Book your ticket which gives you use of a beach hut to change in, kit for the dip and a delicious breakfast, and most importantly helps us raise much-needed funds for Blossome, helping us offer support to families affected by a loved one’s addiction.

Whether you take the plunge or just come for a heartwarming breakfast, everyone is welcome for an unforgettable way to start the new year 🤗

https://vist.ly/4k5u6

30/12/2025

Can't make the plunge in the water for The Big Dip on New Year's Day but still want to join us? No problem!

Everyone is welcome at The Big Dip, so come to Walton-on-the-Naze at 11:30 to cheer on all the dippers and enjoy a warming breakfast with us after!

https://vist.ly/4k582

28/12/2025

As this year draws to a close, you might notice different things stirring.

Part of you may feel ready for change, curious about letting go of old patterns and responding to life in a kinder way.
Or part of you may be tired, just getting through, with no energy to reflect, plan, or fix anything.

Both places are human. And both can exist at the same time.

For your Sunday Self-care Reminder this week, I've shared two reflections, written for these different moments.

You’re invited to choose the one that meets you where you are, not where you think you should be.

Change Happens From the Inside Out: for when something in you is ready. https://www.blossome.support/2025/12/28/change-happens-from-the-inside-out/

When Surviving Is Enough: for when easing the pressure is the kindest thing. https://www.blossome.support/2025/12/28/when-surviving-is-enough/

There’s no right order. You choose what feels right for you - and yes, you could choose to read both.

-care -compassion

Blossome

10/01/2026

07/01/2026

05/01/2026

03/01/2026

02/01/2026

01/01/2026

31/12/2025

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30/12/2025

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