The Wee Group

Location: Northern Ireland

Two women smiling and talking at a table, one wearing a hijab. They are holding pens and notebooks while a person stands in the background writing on a whiteboard. The setting is a casual, collaborative work environment.

What is The Wee Group

The Wee Group Peer Support Project helps people with long-term health conditions by providing peer support to improve their mental health and well-being. Started in January 2025 and funded by the National Lottery, the four-year project is a partnership between Healthy Living Centre Alliance (HLCA), 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.

What does The Wee Group do?

Year one of the project focuses on developing Peer Group Facilitators in 12 Healthy Living Centres across Northern Ireland. 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.

How does The Wee Group help?

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 Health Living Centres across Northern Ireland
  • Minimum 300 participants

The project steering group

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:

Group photo of 18 people smiling indoors. Front row holds a "Healthy Living Centre Alliance" sign. Warm, collaborative atmosphere. Casual attire.

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