Blossome, Colchester (2026)

06/02/2026

🧵Mindful Slow stitching 🧵
🗓️Saturday 7th Feb 3pm -5pm
📍Berryfields cafe, Firstsite, Colchester

If you have been affected by someone else’s drinking, drug use, gambling or any addiction, you are welcome to join us for coffee, tea, cake and slow stitching.

Meet others who understand all you are carrying.
No fixing, no advice giving, no judgement, just care and compassion. No stitching skills required either.

Julie will be your host
Julie is one of our Blooming Companions, and has been part of the Blossome Community since summer 2024. She loved slow stitching so much that now she volunteers to host the sessions.

Come along and stitch a brave expression on a square, or you could make a name badge, or start a thread journal. If you don’t feel like stitching, simply enjoy a cuppa and some good company.

Book your ticket here
https://www.blossome.support/event/slow-stitching-3-2-2-3/2026-02-07/

02/02/2026

What’s On in the Blossome Community – February 💛
This month in the Blossome Community, there are gentle self-care spaces to choose from, come to one, or come to them all. No pressure. Just support, understanding, and compassion.

Resourcing Me - Led by Kim
Wednesday 04, 18, 25 February
7 pm - 7.45 pm
A calm, guided 45 minutes to pause, ground, and resource yourself with what supports you. Learn to self-regulate your emotions, develop a compassionate voice within, with self-compassion skills. Come as you are, quiet listening is always welcome.
https://www.blossome.support/event/mindful-selfcompassion-dropin-series-2-2-2-2-3-2/2026-02-04/

🧵 Slow Stitching Circle - Led by Julie
Saturday 7th February, 3 pm - 5 pm
A soothing, creative space to stitch a meaningful message onto a square of fabric. Sometimes stitching a message is easier than speaking it. This month, we will also start stitching our personalised Blossome Name badges. Sit and breathe together, with plenty of cuppa and cake. No skill needed just shared presence.
https://www.blossome.support/event/slow-stitching-3-2-2-3/2026-02-07/

Sunrise Dip & Breakfast - Led by Kim
13, 20 February at early dawn.
A brave-but-gentle way to meet the day together, watching the sun rise over the sea. Cold water, warm connection, and a deep sense of “I did something brave and kind for myself." This month, wear RED for our Valentines themed dip.
https://www.blossome.support/event/sunrise-dip-2-4-2-2/

Mosaic Mirror Making
Wednesday 11th February 6.30 pm - 8.30 pm
Join us for an evening of creativity, connection and self-care at our Mosaic Mirror Making Event! With supportive guidance, explore the world of mosaic artistry and create a stunning mirror that not only reflects your image but also reflects the beauty within you. In this hands-on workshop, you’ll be guided through the process of designing and crafting your own mosaic mirror.
https://www.blossome.support/event/valentines-mosaic-mirror-making/

Every group activity is also an invitation to connect with others who understand the impact of loving someone with addiction, no fixing, no explaining, no judgement, just being and compassion.

29/01/2026

An inspiring day at the Better Mental Health and Wellbeing Partnership Workshop.

Local health, social care and VSCE systems came together to have a conversation to help us all improve peoples experience and reduce dependence on clinical services.

It’s great to be able to share our experiences, and contribute to thinking and finding better ways forward. 💪

29/01/2026

When you’ve spent a long time caring, coping, and holding things together…
self-compassion is how you can recharge your emotional batteries.

Not so you can give more,
but so you don’t lose yourself in the process.

Learn and practice self-care with self-compassion, together in the Blossome community.

Drop in to a Resourcing Me session
Or attend a self-care activity.
Everyone is welcome 🤗

You can view our self-care activity calendar here 👇
https://www.blossome.support/events/

23/01/2026

Help needed please. 🙏

Does anyone have any storage shelves that you no longer need and are willing to donate them to Blossome? Or anyone willing to contribute £1 towards buying some? We can buy some for £25 from someplace like B&Q.

We can start with just one set for storing all our our kit and craft supplies.

We dream of having some Gratnells shelving with the boxes, if anyone has any used ones? I know this is a long shot. These are ideal for organising and taking boxes to our activities.

Thank you 🙏

19/01/2026

You don’t have to buy into Blue Monday to know that winter can be hard.

Some days feel heavier.
Some weeks take more energy.
And none of that means anything is “wrong” with you.

The idea of a “most depressing day of the year” isn’t backed by science . But feeling low, tired, or tender in winter is a very human experience. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a real condition.

And when you are affected by someone else's drinking, drug use, gambling or any addiction, it is even harder.

You don’t need a special day to deserve support.
You deserve kindness on the days that feel heavy and the days that don’t.

Be gentle with yourself today.
That’s not avoidance, it’s a powerful act of care.

If you’re needing a softer pace this winter, you’re not alone. Ask yourself “What do I need today?”

And allow yourself to show yourself kindness and care - by giving yourself what you need, if it is good for your wellbeing. You are worthy of care and support too. Your wellbeing depends on it 🌸

17/01/2026

✨ Week 2 of the Cultivating Self-Compassion programme ✨

This week our 3 groups explored what happens when we meet difficulty without fighting it. There were some powerful “aha” moments as participants began to notice resistance, the pushing away, tensing up, or self-criticism that so often shows up when things feel hard.

Together, we discovered the quiet kindness of lessening resistance. Of softening around our experience rather than battling it. Of allowing things to be as they are, even just a little, and sensing how much relief can come from that simple shift.

Participants are already learning to pause, recognise moments of struggle, and respond in a new way — with mindfulness, warmth, and compassion. Hearts are opening as people realise they don’t have to be harsh with themselves to cope; they can be kind.

It’s deeply moving to witness these early shifts, the growing courage to stay present, the tenderness toward oneself, and the understanding that compassion begins by not adding extra suffering. 💛

If you would like to learn self-compassion to help you ease the difficulties you feel, you are welcome to join our weekly Resourcing Me self-compassion dropping sessions, online.

Dates for the full 8-week self-compassion programme will be announced soon.

Learn more about Resourcing Me
https://www.blossome.support/event/mindful-selfcompassion-dropin-series-2-2-2-2-3-2/2026-01-21/

Add yourself to the waitlist for the next Cultivating Self-compassion programme .

16/01/2026

Today is National Do Nothing Day.
And if your first reaction is “I can’t do that, that feels lazy”, you’re not alone.

So many of us learned that rest has to be earned, and stopping needs a good reason. Even the idea of “doing nothing” can make us uncomfortable.

Maybe doing nothing doesn’t mean lying perfectly still.

Maybe it just means not adding more.
Not pushing.
Not efforting.

Just a small pause.
Smell the flowers.
Just for a moment.

And that, too, is allowed. 💛

16/01/2026

Permission to Pause
Last night I had the absolute joy of speaking at the Women’s Institute in Frinton about Permission to Pause: Laugh, Breathe, and Begin Again 💛

There was laughter in all the right places (especially around the noodle story 🧶🍜), moments of quiet reflection, and that feeling in the room when you know people are really with you.

We talked about the women who came before us.
About busyness as love.
About patterns that travel quietly through families.
And about what it might mean to choose something a little softer, not by fixing ourselves, but by being kinder to ourselves.

What stayed with me most was the conversation afterwards. Women sharing stories, recognising themselves in each other, lingering to talk. That’s the bit that tells me the message landed.

“You’ve made me think.”

I’m also really touched that 24 “Permission to Pause” flowers found new homes, along with two decks of self-care cards, small, tangible reminders that pausing is allowed.

Thank you to everyone who came, listened, laughed, and stayed curious. These moments matter. 🌸

Special thanks to Essex Knitters & Stitchers for making these meaningful flowers for us 🙏

With loving kindness
Kim

14/01/2026

Self-care for Grieving Hearts
Week 2 of of 12 - an Intro to self-compassion
Yesterday’s session was something really special.

Together, we explored a powerful (and very human) realisation: we can notice when we’re suffering, and we can choose to respond in a new way. Not by fixing, pushing through, or judging ourselves… but with self-compassion.

We spent time noticing how emotions live in the body, heavy shoulders, tight chests, knots in the stomach and gently mapping what was present. For many, this was the first time they’d paused long enough to really listen to what their body has been holding.

We also practiced the Self-Compassion Break, a simple, practical tool for moments of difficulty, offering ourselves the same care and kindness we so often give to others.

There was honesty, tenderness, a few lightbulb moments, some tears and a strong sense of “I’m not broken, I’m human.”

Thank you to everyone who showed up with such openness and courage. This is the work that changes how we meet ourselves, one moment at a time 💛

If this resonates and you’re curious about learning kinder ways to support yourself, you’re very welcome to join us.

Photo: participants in the super comfy astronaut pose

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/

Blossome

06/02/2026

02/02/2026

29/01/2026

29/01/2026

23/01/2026

19/01/2026

17/01/2026

16/01/2026

16/01/2026

14/01/2026

10/01/2026

07/01/2026

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