New website aims to bring joy to people across Leicestershire 

The website will offer various categories, from fitness and art classes to carer support and counselling.

Joy, a free health and wellbeing support website, is set to launch this Easter (Friday 29 March) to support people living and working in Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland (LLR).  

Joy is funded by the local NHS and combines services provided by the NHS, local authorities, and the voluntary and community sector all in one place.

The website will offer a diverse range of categories from fitness and art classes to carer support, diabetes self-help groups, food banks, counselling, and Age UK services.

Rachna Vyas, Chief Operating Officer at the NHS in Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland, said: “We are delighted to be launching the Joy website today, bringing together local support, in a single place, at the touch of a button.

“We particularly want to make it easier for people with the most need to find better help, whether it’s support for their mental health, wanting to be more physically active, or just finding support groups close to where they live. Our ambition is that Joy becomes a way that everybody connects, resulting in better mental health and wellbeing across Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland.”

As part of the website’s launch, GP practices across LLR have also been connected to Joy.

Dr Leslie Borrill, a GP partner at Bridge Street Medical Practice (BSMP), Clinical Director of Carillon PCN and Charnwood GP Network, said: “It is fantastic that GP practices are now connected to Joy ahead of this launch. It will transform how GPs and our wider team will ensure our patients receive the best care and support when they visit our surgeries.”