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Funded by the National Lottery, the four-year project is a partnership between HLC Alliance, the Mental Health Foundation, and the Northern Area Community Network HLC (NACN). It will introduce a structured Peer Support Programme in 12 Healthy Living Centres, mainly in rural areas.

Year one of the project focuses on developing Peer Group Facilitators in 12 Healthy Living Centres across the North. Facilitators will only start setting up the groups after completing the training and development.  Working with people with long-term conditions in their community, the facilitators will develop the groups over the following four years.

The aim is to create lasting peer support networks for over 300 people with long-term health conditions, supported by experienced facilitators and led by the community.

Peer support is an evidence-based model for supporting mental health and well-being for people with long-term health conditions.  Putting peer support in the heart of communities is essential and will build on the success of the community-based Better Days Programme.

Based on the principles of peer support, this project will encourage participants to use their own experiences to provide emotional, practical, and social support to their peers, receiving the same support back.

Key Information:

• Four-year project
• 12 Healthy Living Centres across Northern Ireland
• Minimum 300 participants

Centres participating

• Heart Project
• Ligoniel Healthy Living Centre
• Northern Area Community Network
• Oak HLC
• Old Library Trust HLC
• Peninsula HLC
• Strabane Health Improvement
• Tidal Toome
• Verve HLC
• Clanrye Group
• Waterside Neighbourhood Partnership
• Rural Health Partnership

The project steering group comprises:

Tony Doherty, HLCA Regional Coordinator; Karen Hall, MHF Head of NI; Breige Conway, Manager NACN; Claire Convery, Clanrye Group Head of Community Partnerships & Integration; Lynn Jeffrey, Verve HLC Facilitator; Ciaran McNeill, Ligoniel HLC Facilitator; Sarah Huggett, Project Support BDPP; Natasha Moore, BDPP Project Coordinator; Amanda McAuley, The Wee Group Project Coordinator; Laura Moreland, Public Mental Health Officer NI MHF; Louise Stevenson, HLCA Finance and Admin Officer;

For further information, please contact:

Amanda McAuley (NACN) ama@nacn.org 07840 374757 or

Laura Moreland (MHF) lmoreland@mentalhealth.org.uk 02891641002

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