Everyday life is more expensive than it was before. For a variety of reasons, prices for things, such as food and energy, are going up.

Many people are finding that they cannot buy as much as they could before and are having to make tough decisions about what they spend their money on. This is what is being referred to as the cost of living crisis.

The rising cost of things is known as inflation. Major international developments, including the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, have led to high inflation throughout the world. Peoples’ wages and benefits have not increased at the same rate as inflation. This means that many are not able to buy as much as they could before and are struggling to pay bills and buy food and other essentials.

As with previous crises, many people and communities across the UK are stepping up and uniting to help those facing challenges during this period.

Examples of new and existing support services include:

• – Grants, these are typically non-repayable funds available to people who are struggling. They may be provided by local authorities, trusts, foundations or other organisations
• – Food banks, community pantries and food sharing apps are among those helping to reduce food costs for people and pet food bank networks have been created for furry friends
• – Warm banks, free public spaces in local communities where people can visit to keep warm if they are struggling to heat their home

To find support services in these and other areas, see our Cost of Living Support section at mypickle.org/cost-of-living-support

My Pickle has expanded its team of volunteers with the launch of Volunteer Cohort 5.

As a Community Interest Company, My Pickle aims to improve the lives of the people it supports and is committed to fostering a supportive community for its volunteers.

A volunteer-driven initiative since 2019, My Pickle exists to help people find help fast. Based in the UK, My Pickle believes everyone should be able to access support when and where they need it. The website provides free, trustworthy, verified information about where to access support for all that life throws at you.

Volunteers join from a diverse range of backgrounds bringing a wealth of lived experience, skills and insight into issues faced by different communities. In return for volunteering a couple of hours each week, the volunteer programme delivers training, work experience and a supportive community to assist volunteers to develop skills, increase confidence and progress their careers.

Here are what some of the volunteers say:

Jack Devonshire, 22, Birmingham
“I am passionate about My Pickle because it is a vital hub for getting support on a range of complex issues, without the rabbit holes of Google that people are often led down during a time of crisis. I think it truly impacts the people that use the service.”

Kim Casement-Mastin, 40, Cheshire
“I want to be part of something that genuinely helps people and joining My Pickle as a volunteer allows me to do that as well as meet new people, develop my skills and gain some vital work experience in a field I would like to pursue. It’s a win-win situation!”

Matthew Nolan, 26, West Yorkshire 
“It is really important to be a part of something that genuinely feels selfless or for the good of others, as cheesy as that sounds. At the same time, I meet great people, develop my skills, and build on having been a volunteer for a while now!”

Abbey Crewdson, 23, Coventry
“I have found it difficult to find help myself and to know which sites I can trust for helpful information. That is why I’m so excited about being a part of My Pickle to help make information easily accessible for everyone.”

Anna McNulty, 28, Sheffield.
“I work in mental health and I too often see that people reach out for help and have been given precious misinformation or don’t know where to go for information – so this is my way of doing my bit.”

Cat Divers, My Pickle Co-CEO
“We are incredibly grateful for the support of our amazing volunteers. The passion and dedication they have is inspiring and My Pickle would not be where it is without them!”

Appointments Will Strengthen Areas in Technology, Funding, Marketing and Governance.

My Pickle CIC (‘My Pickle’), a not-for-profit initiative that helps the general public to find trusted support in times of need, on 13th June welcomed eight new non-executive directors to its board: Jenny Arcanjo, Kit Chong, Rhys Corley-Morgan, Tatenda Mazivanhanga, Olga Murray, Mikhail Petrov, Drew Raine and Leigh Rankin.

“We have such an exciting future ahead. With the recent separation of trading activities to National Support Network CIC and Scott McLeod joining as My Pickle Co-CEO now is the time to refocus efforts on generating and scaling social impact,” said My Pickle Founder & Co-CEO, Cat Divers.

“Each director brings skills and experience aligned to one or more of our upcoming goals. We are incredibly grateful to be joined by this group of industry experts who have volunteered their time to drive this initiative forward.”

The eight non-executive directors join existing non-executive director, Alysaa Ordu on the My Pickle board.

Jenny Arcanjo

Jenny has a background in modern languages and is qualified in translation and teaching. Her varied experience spans the public, charity and private sectors, including 13 years in financial data analysis at Thomson Reuters. She previously worked for Oxfam and now works for the Trussell Trust, a charity striving to end the need for food banks in the UK. Her volunteering with My Pickle began over two years ago, previously as a Community Manager and now as an Operations Manager.

Jenny said: “It has been heart-warming to see My Pickle develop under Cat’s steady leadership over the last 2 years, and to be part of such a committed team. I began volunteering when furloughed during lockdown, at a time when signposting to key services was so important and that need for support is still acute. Volunteering with My Pickle motivated me to return to the charity sector and inspired in me an ongoing interest in volunteer programmes as a means of providing both interesting experience and support into employment.”

Kit Chong

Kit started his career in public relations, working for agencies such as Hill+Knowlton, Golin and Weber Shandwick, and then worked in marketing and business development for the Alibaba Group. He founded and ran different businesses from beauty to property. He has been involved with the charity sector, volunteering for The Felix Project and The Prince’s Trust. Kit also mentors several businesses, guiding them on marketing, operations and business growth.

Kit said: “I have been fortunate to have many people guide me personally and professionally, and it wasn’t so straight forward to find the help. This is why I feel connected to My Pickle and to help them gain the awareness so that more vulnerable people can quickly access the help they need. I’m very proud and excited to be part of this initiative because there are so many challenges and barriers in this world, and I want to be a part of helping others and enhance their lives for the better.”

Rhys Corley-Morgan

Before his current role as Impact Manager, Rhys spent more than five years working in The Big Issue’s Frontline team supporting vendors as Operations Manager for Scotland. While working at The Big Issue he studied part-time with The Open University to achieve his BA in Politics, Philosophy & Economics. Rhys’ current role focuses on measuring the impact of the services, programmes and projects TBIG deliver while also working to achieve consistent approaches to impact management, measurement and data across the whole of TBIG.

Rhys said: “After working to support Big Issue vendors through periods of emergency and crisis, I hugely appreciate information being made easy to access and use, while knowing it comes from a trusted source. My Pickle can be that trusted source for people facing an emergency or needing support. With current societal pressures becoming more severe many people will be seek help for the first time and My Pickle can be there to help them.”

Tatenda Mazivanhanga

Tatenda is a Product Manager with several years of experience in delivering innovative technologies; both in strategy and delivery to help better serve customers, solve real problems and improve business operations in an ever-evolving world. His previous roles in management consulting included spearheading business transformations and rolling out disruptive technologies across the public sector, telecoms and finance organisations.

Tatenda said: “Through a personal life-changing experience of my own, I resonate with the cause. Trying to find help with a specific issue which required a cultural similarity and understanding in some of the stigmas we have in the African community was not easy. I admire the work My Pickle is doing to help facilitate connecting individuals to an abundance of resources, helplines and support services. Through my personal and professional experiences, I now seek to contribute to help further the reach and capabilities of My Pickle.”

Olga Murray

Olga is the Founder of Private Goodness, a corporate responsibility and ethics consultancy. She has provided social impact training to companies based in Asia, Africa, America, the Middle East and Europe, and won two International CSR Excellence Awards. Previously, Olga worked for a number of national and regional charities where she managed corporate partnerships and volunteering programmes. She is a lifelong volunteer herself, with a passion for supporting people to get jobs they love.

Olga said: “I know how much time and energy is wasted when people are looking for help online, and how life changing early advice can be. I am really excited to work with other volunteers to empower more people to ‘find help fast’.”

Mikhail Petrov

Mikhail is a Director of Strategy at Xero, a cloud accounting software provider. Before that he was managing strategy and operations for the LinkedIn advertising business and worked as a management consultant at Bain & Company, advising executives on a wide range of business problems. Mikhail holds a degree in business law, and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.

Mikhail said: “I believe that technology has a massive opportunity to change our world for the better. My Pickle is one of the tech organisations solving a very real problem – finding right information is hard, particularly at time of crisis, when people need it quickly. Having such resources at hand is invaluable for anyone going through difficult times or trying to help others. I am very excited about the role My Pickle will play in scaling access to resources, streamlining access to information, and amplifying voices of amazing organisations offering help.”

Drew Raine

Drew is a consultant with over twenty years’ experience in delivering large scale transformation programmes in business, operations and IT across a number of industry sectors and geographies. Drew’s experience includes delivering improved multi-channel customer experience. Drew also works with community projects in his home town of Tunbridge Wells and coaches Youth Rugby at his local club.

Drew said: “Working with community projects I have seen challenges people have accessing support, be that acceptance of needing help, awareness of what support is available or accessing the right kind of support. The pandemic and now the cost of living crisis have only exasperated the situation. I have seen the huge difference getting people the support needed can make and supporting an organisation that looks to ensure anyone can access the right type and quality of support they need is a personal passion.”

Leigh Rankin

Leigh is an enthusiastic technologist that has been lucky enough to work with many amazing people and some of the world’s best-known companies over the last three decades, including Coca-Cola, Bacardi-Martini, and Gillette. In recent years his focus has been on the Public Sector, working closely with the likes of Scottish Government and Disclosure Scotland to deliver tangibly improved digital services for citizens. He is a passionate advocate for Corporate Social Responsibility and is proud to support several initiatives in his spare time including ScotlandIS Critical Friends and Dell STEM Aspire.

Leigh said: “Times are tough for everyone at the moment, and as more and more people find themselves in a pickle it will be ever more important that they can find relevant help and support for their problems. I’m really excited to have the opportunity to optimise My Pickle services in a meaningful way by contributing my own experience to the team. The potential benefits that the service could offer to people that are struggling appear to be limited only by our imagination and ambition.”

My Pickle CIC, a social enterprise that helps the general public to find support in times of need, launches Cohort 4 of their popular volunteering programme by welcoming 40 volunteers. These programmes deliver training, work experience and a supportive community to improve volunteer employability prospects, skills and confidence.

This initiative stems from grassroots and volunteer-driven efforts since 2019 to crowdsource, review and share information on national support resources. Since 2019 the volunteering experience has evolved, informed by volunteer feedback and best practice to become more structured and better supported.

Each volunteer offers one to two hours of assistance in a designated team over the course of the four-month programme. Alongside existing Research, Quality Assurance, Marketing and Technology volunteer teams, there are three new teams: Database Administration, Market Research and Operations.

“One of our big areas of focus during this cohort is strengthening our data quality even further. Since 2019 we have been continually developing our data quality policy and processes. It is vitally important that anyone seeking support can find clear and accurate information about support services” said NSN CEO and Co-Founder, Cat Divers.

Cat will be coordinating and leading the delivery of the volunteering programme with Scott said “Aside from our important work signposting support resources for people in need, one of the most exciting aspects of working here is the opportunity to work alongside our volunteers and help support them into employment.”

Last year the volunteering programmes helped 29 volunteers into new jobs and roles through providing training, experience and other support such as references and confidence building.

The volunteering programmes also offer a rewarding opportunity to develop new skills in a supportive community environment. As volunteer Isabel Hewson from London explains “I have gained experience in research and evaluating sources for quality and authenticity. I’ve also had opportunities to peer review work submitted by others to ensure it is up to standard, and I enjoy feeling part of a team. I also like feeling as though I’m making a difference to people’s lives”.

The continuation of these volunteering programmes into Cohort 4 has been . Cat Divers said “At the start of the year we had to put our volunteering programmes on hold to focus on seeking funding – our future was uncertain.

“We are extremely thankful for our work to be supported by Big Issue Invest through our parent company. With such an incredible volunteer team and a new executive team I believe we have that together we have the passion and ability to help even more people across the UK to find trusted support in times of need.”

We are seeking funding to deliver Cohort 5 in Q3/Q4 2022. If this is something you would be interested to support or sponsor please contact us to learn more.

My Pickle CIC, a social enterprise that helps the general public to find support in times of need, has welcomed two new roles of Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Co-CEO of My Pickle CIC, supported by into parent company National Support Network (‘NSN’) CIC.

Simon Pitt joins as CTO and NSN Co-Founder while Scott McLeod joins as Co-CEO of My Pickle CIC. They both take up their new roles on April 4th.

Pitt will oversee technical strategy and delivery across NSN and My Pickle. McLeod will focus on strategic and operational development for My Pickle.

Pitt joins part-time and, in addition, works as Head of Product for Corporate Digital at the BBC.

He has 15 years’ experience running software engineering teams, developing web applications, APIs and databases. He has been a director at the B2B company Simplex Mobile and B2C company Mobile Appster.

Simon said: “The last thing you want when going through a difficult life experience is to be spending your time hunting around trying to find the right service or organisation. I’ve always enjoyed making processes and systems simpler and easier and to reduce friction. This gives me the opportunity to do just for people at a time in their life when it matters most.”

Scott McLeod joins My Pickle with a background of managerial and leadership roles in the hospitality industry for over 15 years. His experience is broad and varied, encompassing sales, operational management, strategy, customer service, marketing and training.

He has particular interests in developing and implementing systems, and in training and mentorship. During his time in the hospitality industry, Scott worked with a wide range of stakeholders and dynamic organisations.

Scott said: “Aside from our important work signposting support resources for people in need, one of the most exciting aspects of working at My Pickle is the opportunity to work alongside our volunteers. Particularly, to help support them into employment.”

My Pickle Co-CEO and NSN CEO Cat Divers said: “This is an exciting and significant development for us. Simon and Scott will play integral roles at a crucial time for us, as we reimagine our volunteering programmes to help more people into employment, and continue to build on our existing offerings. The passion they have for our vision to help people facing crisis get the help they need when needed is clear. The skills and expertise they bring fill me with confidence about our ability to continue to grow and scale this life changing initiative through both CICs.”

My Pickle CIC has launched Cohort 3 of their popular volunteering programme. Volunteers are the bedrock of My Pickle, over 200 volunteers across the UK have already supported activities including creating the UK’s largest database of national support with details of over 2,000 resources such as helplines listed here at mypickle.org.

Cohort 3 will build on the collaborative successes of Cohort 2 volunteers leading to 2,149 people being connected to support via mypickle.org.

Cohort 3 volunteer activities span social media, research, quality assurance and tech/UX areas. With over 150 applications My Pickle founder, Cat Divers, said: “I’m overwhelmed that so many people share our vision that no-one should struggle alone and want to support our work. I am very grateful to everyone who took the time to apply. I’m just sorry we don’t yet have capacity for more than 20 new volunteers at a time.” 

 “I am so thankful for the support from every volunteer past and present. It really speaks to their characters that, within their hectic lives, they find a couple of hours each week to try to make the world a better place for others.”

“I love sharing this journey with our volunteers and it’s also a personal journey for them… At the end of Cohort 2, 26 volunteers, over half of the team, reported securing a new role or job since joining!”

“With such a diverse and talented team in Cohort 3 I am very excited for what the future holds!”

All our volunteers are amazing people, so we thought we’d share their experiences here, and if volunteering for My Pickle is something you’d like to do then please see the details below about Cohort 4!

 

Nick Trimble, from Manchester.

“I became a volunteer with the aim of helping more people in a similar situation to myself. I was trying to regain a sense of a working life again, having begun living as a freshly disabled person.

“Volunteering with My Pickle has helped me to rebuild my work integrity again. It has proven to both myself, and all the other naysayers, that I can still hold a degree of responsibility after my last few years of disability, and I should only have very high hopes for my forthcoming disabled future. I have learnt that I should only look forward to my life these days becoming filled with a much more positive twang, and I just can’t wait!

 

Isabel Hewson from London.

“Through volunteering, I have gained experience in research and evaluating sources for quality and authenticity.

“I’ve also had opportunities to peer review work submitted by others to ensure it is up to standard, and I enjoy feeling part of a team. I also like feeling as though I’m making a difference to people’s lives.” 

 

Amy Wilson from Surrey.

“I began volunteering for My Pickle when I got made redundant. I needed something to focus on and to also help me build my skills while I was unemployed.

“Volunteering has helped me to gain teamwork and managerial experience, and I have also learned how to design social media posts and create videos on Canva.”

Joanne from Staffordshire.

“I joined mypickle.org as I have fibromyalgia and I wanted to give something back to everyone else who suffers with chronic conditions. 

“I am so pleased I got involved as I work alongside a great bunch of people and my research skills are being put to good use and have developed throughout the course of volunteering. 

“When I became a volunteer I had just been through a very nasty divorce and was looking for a home-based part-time position. Volunteering for My Pickle has helped me get back into employment, and I would recommend to other people to join as volunteers for My Pickle.”  

 

Catherine Eleam is from Nigeria and now lives in Colchester.

“I had just moved to the UK with my family and needed some experience working within this terrain. While waiting to land a job, I got the opportunity to volunteer with My Pickle.

“Volunteering has helped me to hone my teamwork skills, especially doing so virtually, which is where the future of working is headed. It has also made me appreciate social enterprises even more.”  

 

James from Bath.

“I started as a volunteer with My Pickle in 2019, and since then I’ve developed new skills in research, quality assurance, leadership, and training.

“I’ve really enjoyed working with the QA team and researchers to produce helpful listings for My Pickle’s users.”

 

Interested?

Our next Cohort will run from 10 January 2022 to 12 May 2022. Applications will open in November 2021. Check back then or sign up to our monthly newsletter to be the first to be notified when applications open!

My Pickle founder Cat Divers has been shortlisted from a record 4,800 entries as a finalist for the Entrepreneur for Good Award Scotland & Northern Ireland 2021.

The award recognises entrepreneurs who have a mission to create social value and is judged by a prestigious panel of business founders including Anne Boden MBE, founder of Starling Bank, Cath Kidston MBE, and James Caan CBE.

Nearly 900 entrepreneurs have been shortlisted across eight regions, and the winners of the Regional Finals in September will go on to the National Final held in November.

Cat said: “I am massively surprised and grateful for the recognition, but really it’s our incredible team of volunteers that drives this initiative forward so my thanks and congratulations must go to each of them.

“We launched mypickle.org in October 2020 with the express aim of helping the most vulnerable people in the UK find support, and within the first six months of 2021 the website directly connected over 1,800 people to the information and advice they were searching for.

“I wanted the website to be a one-stop-shop for anyone in distress, and thanks to the hard work and research of over 200 volunteers from across the UK we can signpost people to more than 2,000 resources.

“In the first six months of 2021 the initiative has also enabled 11 of our volunteers to be able to find paid jobs thanks to the confidence and skills they’ve developed while working with mypickle.org and I’m incredibly proud of that.”

Originally a business and finance graduate from Glasgow, Cat progressed up the corporate ladder as a chartered insurance practitioner, and it was while working in the insurance industry that she became concerned about the increasing barriers which leave the most vulnerable people unsupported.

Research shows that 11.8 million Brits find it difficult, stressful, or time-consuming to find help when faced with a life challenge. Of this, almost half (47%) have delayed or given up searching for help because it is hard to find the information, advice or support they need.

Cat added: “I know how hard it can be to find help. In what is already an overwhelming situation you can waste a lot of stress and time getting dragged down rabbit holes.

At our website, we cut through the noise and point anyone in the UK facing crisis in the right direction, making it easy to find help fast. We signpost helpful, national and vetted support resources like helplines without commercial bias. Our vision is to see that no-one struggles alone or is left behind, regardless of their situation or life circumstances.”

Cat’s work to create My Pickle has already afforded her recognition, including in NatWest’s SE100 ‘Top 25 Trailblazing Newcomer’, and as a Finalist in the UK Social Entrepreneur Index and Computing’s Rising Stars Awards.

Anyone looking for support on a wide range of topics from mental health to debt either for themselves or a loved one anywhere in the UK can find the resources they need at mypickle.org

Not-for-profit support organisation My Pickle CIC has joined forces with the to push for urgent action to reduce health inequalities.

Raising awareness of support and breaking down accessibility and affordability barriers are close to the beating heart of My Pickle, which is why it has become a member of the coalition alongside more than 130 other organisations.

Membership of the is open to any not-for-profit organisation with an interest in reducing health inequality, and it aims to lobby the government to ensure the needs of vulnerable people are considered in every decision.

My Pickle Founder and CEO, Cat Divers, said: “Health inequalities are avoidable, and their existence is immoral. They require urgent action. 

“There are major differences in life expectancies of different socio-economic groups across the UK. Even within the same town there can be more than 10 years difference.

“These inequalities are not genetic and are influenced by many aspects of someone’s life, such as their education, housing, and work conditions.

The interrelation of all these factors is why My Pickle is so vast because many of these topics are linked, for example debt and mental health.

“It is vital that those in need can find support fast to avoid further knock-on effects in their own lives and to the lives of those around them.

“We believe no-one should struggle alone and are proud to join this coalition campaigning for a cross-government strategy to reduce health inequalities.”

The pandemic has exposed and amplified underlying inequalities in our society, including in health.

As a member of the Inequalities in Health Alliance we’re calling for a cross government strategy to urgently address this. Find out more about the Inequalities in Health Alliance .

Non-for-profit support organisation My Pickle CIC (“My Pickle”) announces the appointment of two new non-executive directors to the board, whose experience within socially conscious enterprises will drive the development of a corporate support package.

Business mentor and strategist Luba Reynolds, and marketing, diversity and inclusion consultant Alyssa Ordu have joined My Pickle, whose website launched in October 2020 to act as a one stop shop for anyone facing crisis to quickly find the help they need delivered by charities and other organisations.

Glasgow-based Founder and CEO, Cat Divers, created My Pickle (from the phrase ‘in a pickle’) based on personal experience. Having faced and overcome personal challenges she understands how hard it can be to find support and wanted to help others. With the support of hundreds of volunteers across the UK, the My Pickle website mypickle.org currently signposts to over 1,750 resources including helplines and apps.

She said: “During this pandemic it has been inspiring to see so many organisations step up efforts to help their customers and employees. We want to boost the signposting capabilities of these organisations, enabling them to quickly and effectively signpost any customer or employee facing crisis to trusted support resources.

“Collaborating with these organisations can help boost our social impact,  helping more people find the help they need when they need it.

“I am confident that our newly appointed non-executive directors Alyssa and Luba, will be instrumental in our growth plans to help us scale our reach and social impact while driving our sustainability agenda.”

Introducing Alyssa Ordu

Alyssa Ordu grew up in the Philippines, the States, Tunisia, and the UK.

Now based in London, she has carried out award-winning work in marketing, creating strategies for socially conscious businesses, and helps companies to communicate with their global audiences. Her work in diversity teases out what gets in the way of building truly inclusive teams, channelling privilege as a force for good. She delivers anti-bias workshops at a range of organisations including NHS, The Guardian, Snapchat, Stella McCartney and Sky.

Alyssa said: “When Cat approached me to join the board of My Pickle, I was immediately struck by her absolute passion to see that no-one struggles alone, regardless of their situation or life circumstances.

“It’s a vision I also share, which is why I accepted the position as a non-executive director, and I’m excited to support and guide My Pickle as it develops that vision to ensure it reaches and helps as many people as possible.”

Introducing Luba Reynolds   

Luba Reynolds works with women-led social enterprises, having carried out management consulting services at PwC, KPMG and IBM Global on projects which improved technology sales growth by double digits.

Luba said: “Cat has done an amazing job of driving My Pickle forward to where it is today, and her work to coordinate hundreds of volunteers to develop all of the information on the website is an incredible achievement.

“I look forward bringing my experience of both sales, IT leadership and business development to the My Pickle board, and to support Cat in pursuing new opportunities which will grow the organisation and redefine the way businesses think about social mobility.”

Exclusive research by not-for-profit website mypickle.org has revealed more than one in five (22%) of Brits find it difficult, stressful or time-consuming to find help.

According to the survey conducted by Censuswide, 11.8 million Brits find it difficult, stressful or time-consuming to find help when faced with a life challenge.

Sadly, four in ten of people surveyed delayed or gave up searching for help because of this and one in ten Brits (11%) feel less able to cope with life challenges as a direct result of the coronavirus outbreak.

It is this struggle to find support quickly which motivated Cat Divers to create not-for-profit initiative My Pickle, with the aim of helping anyone facing a life challenge by providing a free, public online directory of support resources.

She said: “I know how hard it can be to find help when facing life’s toughest challenges and the massive difference it can make just by being pointed in the right direction.”

Almost two in five (38%) of respondents that have faced a life challenge have gone online before to search for information, advice or support to help them.

“It can be really difficult to find help online. I have been there so many times before, spending hours, sometimes days, trawling useless results and getting dragged down rabbit holes.

“It is because of this that I launched the My Pickle website with the aim of making it easier for people to get the help they need.

“My Pickle provides a free directory so people facing life challenges have one place where they can go to get pointed in the right direction. We share support resources for everything from mental health and debt to relationship problems.

“What makes us different is that our content is publicly crowdsourced, carefully vetted and continuously reviewed and kept up to date. It’s really encouraging to see how much support is out there.

“Social media and digital platforms, for example, play a largely unknown but vital role in helping those in need to find support and connect with others with similar challenges. For example, on Facebook there are groups offering advice and support for most topics from Universal Credit to Long-covid.”

Cat has been researching and refining the My Pickle concept since May 2018. With the support of hundreds of volunteers across the UK, the new, free website just recently launched and signposts to over 1,750 resources.

Anyone looking for support either for themselves or a loved one anywhere in the UK can now find the resources they need at mypickle.org.