About the Organisation
WSGFM was founded in 2004 and funded by the NHS, in 2009 the funding came to an end, however members of the group carried on, seeing a need and witnessing the impact they were making with the male community in Washington.
Celebrating its 15th birthday of being an independent group this year, there are still some original members. The group brings various aged men out and about in the community, helping them talk to people, and encouraging them to open up as much as possible.
WSFGM welcomes any male, over the age of 18, wanting to integrate into the community, build friendships and get out and about, their oldest member being 95. Some men only require short term support to find out what's going on in Washington and how they can get involved, some are long term members, benefitting from the group and the friendships they have formed. The long term members help and support each other, offering peer support to a community that is difficult to engage.
"We are all volunteers, all willing to talk about our own life experiences and what we've been up to, which is the hardest thing for men to talk about."
How we helped
WSGFM reached out to SVSA back in 2022 for support with their constitution, along with seeking advice to help keep the group running smoothly. This year they reached back out again to SVSA, asking for some funding help. SVSA supported with 5 funding applications, 3 of which have been successful, which in their words "has never happened before!". SVSA have also supported the design of a new flyer to promote their service.
Feedback from the Organisation
"We have the ideas, but we struggle with the wording for grant applications. We have tried going for grants before but been unsuccessful because of the way they were written. Having some professional help with this was exactly what we needed".
"The support we have received has made the group stronger and more resilient, focusing some of the lads to do more to help".
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