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On the second Saturday of every month in the Tesco community room, the South Essex Local Network holds its coffee morning, providing a friendly place for those affected by Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) to come together. Regular visitors range from a teenager to a 79-year-old.

Network coordinator Diane has lived with Crohn's Disease for 30 years. The coffee morning is the regular event she organises.

"Lots of local people know we are here but we always get a few who drop in on the day because they have seen the banner at the door," she says. "We have all the Crohn's & Colitis UK literature available and all the volunteers have got the disease or a family member who has."

They welcome anyone interested in volunteering, not just those with a personal connection. The Network aims to raise the profile of Crohn's and Colitis, bringing together people in the community to help them access information from the charity.

Nikki comes every month with her mum. "I was officially diagnosed when I was 21," she says, talking easily about her experience of Crohn's Disease. "The nurse told me about everything that was available and I got emails about the local networks. About seven years ago they had a Christmas event and it was five minutes' walk from my house. I got my sister and mum to come, as I couldn't go on my own."

Margaret adds: "No two people have the same experience so it is good to chat. We've just been talking about medication. I'm on the same medication as that lady over there," she says, pointing across the table. "It is so nice to be able to chat about it."

The network builds partnerships with other organisations in the area, attending similar events and giving people access to Crohn's & Colitis UK literature.

"We pick up patients looking for support and information immediately after diagnosis. We also play a part in shaping IBD support in the hospitals."

The network does more than coffee mornings, and volunteer Anthea runs its social media accounts. She was diagnosed with Crohn's in 2015 and she has been involved in the local network for six years.

"There is an older set of the community who are not as social media aware, and then there are teenagers who are all over Facebook," she says. "You can reach a lot of people; the number looking at the Facebook page is constantly increasing. It's a fantastic way of communicating information, a very powerful tool."

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