Practical UK resources
Find local help
Use this free guide to find independent support directories, local advice and urgent help
These services are independently run by the organisations listed. Coverage, local availability, opening times and eligibility criteria vary. Strawbarter does not provide or guarantee these services or any grant, advice, food or repair help.
Urgent guidance
If you need urgent help
If someone is in immediate danger, has a life-threatening emergency or needs the emergency services, call 999. You can also call 112 in the UK.
The emergency numbers are the same across the UK. See Official UK guidance on 999 and 112.
Urgent medical help varies by nation
For urgent medical advice that is not a life-threatening emergency, use the service for your nation. If you are unsure what to do, use the official guidance below; call 999 for a life-threatening emergency.
England
NHS 111
Call 111 for urgent medical advice, or use NHS 111 online. For a life-threatening emergency, call 999.
Wales
NHS 111 Wales
Use NHS 111 Wales online guidance or call 111 for urgent health advice. Call 999 for a medical emergency.
Scotland
NHS 24
Call 111 for urgent care when your GP, pharmacy or dental practice is closed. Contact your GP during normal opening hours; call 999 for a life-threatening emergency.
Northern Ireland
GP out-of-hours service
For urgent medical treatment that cannot wait until your GP practice opens, use the out-of-hours service for your area. The official page lists area-specific phone and textphone numbers. Call 999 if the condition is life-threatening.
UK-wide directories
These searchable directories cover organisations and community services in different parts of the UK. Search results and local availability vary.
Turn2us Grants Search
A free and confidential search that matches your circumstances with grants from charitable organisations across the UK.
A search result is a possible grant to explore, not an award. Each fund sets its own eligibility rules, application process and timescale, and the fund decides whether to help. Turn2us cannot guarantee a grant.
Turn2us Find an Adviser
Search for local, regional and national organisations across the UK by topic, postcode and distance. Topics include benefits, housing, debt and mental health.
Some results may not fit your situation, and the number of results varies by area and search. Try a different topic or distance, or a nearby town or city postcode if you do not find a suitable service.
Trussell food bank finder
Find a food bank in the Trussell community by town, city or postcode, and see how to ask about getting a food voucher.
Trussell food banks use a referral voucher system. This directory covers the Trussell community, not every independent food aid service; another provider may be closer. Contact the local food bank or referral partner to check what to do next.
Repair Café Foundation directory
Search the international Repair Café directory for community repair events, including locations across the UK.
A café missing from this member directory may still exist locally. Repair Cafés meet on arranged days, not every day; check the local organiser’s current opening times and whether they can help with your item before travelling. Advice and repair help are voluntary, and a donation is appreciated.
England
Citizens Advice can connect you with local advice in England. Local services have their own catchment areas and opening times.
Citizens Advice England
Find a local Citizens Advice service or call the national Adviceline to be connected to local advice.
Most local offices can only help people who live or work in their area. The Adviceline is usually open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, except public holidays; the national line does not yet cover every part of England.
Wales
Citizens Advice Wales runs a separate national Advicelink service for people in Wales.
Citizens Advice Wales
Find local Citizens Advice or contact Advicelink Wales for free advice by phone.
Most local offices can only help people who live or work in their area. Advicelink Wales is usually open Monday to Friday, 8am to 7pm, and Saturday, 9am to 1pm; it is closed on public holidays and busy periods can mean a long wait.
Scotland
Citizens Advice Scotland connects people with its network of local bureaux.
Citizens Advice Scotland
Search for a local Citizens Advice Bureau or call the Scottish Citizens Advice Helpline to speak with an adviser at a local bureau.
Advice is free, confidential and impartial. Bureaux are independent local charities, so the ways to contact a bureau and its available appointments can vary.
Northern Ireland
Advice NI provides a freephone advice service and can point you towards local advice centres.
Advice NI
Contact Advice NI for benefits, money, debt and other advice, or use its guidance to find local face-to-face help.
Face-to-face advice is provided by local advice centres. Contact Advice NI to check which service can help with your situation and where it is available.