Support Group

[Janann25]

I read with interest the recent post about support groups and used the link to check on any in my area - but the nearest one is Bath which would mean either a car or train journey to attend this. I would very much appreciate the support given by actually meeting up with other people and am thinking of starting a group in my own area - which is north of Swindon. So, I’m just wondering - before I start asking whether anyone is interested to meeting up - just what the rules are regarding starting a group. Could someone help me with this please?

Jan

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Contact the charity - link at the bottom of the page listing the existing groups.

pmrgca.org.uk/about-us/cont...

Not sure who is responsible for that now - but Candy or Fran will explain all.

[Janann25 in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you - I’ve sent the email to contact them.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Janann25]

Good luck - and do let us know how you get on

[Janann25 in reply to PMRpro]

Will do

[Hidden in reply to Janann25]

Hi Jan, this is great news, but we don't seem to have received an email from you. Can you email directly at [e-mail] and we can have a chat! Candy

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

You need to contact the charity - if you scroll down groups page -

pmrgca.org.uk/get-support/g...

…you find this comment and link -

In this section you can find the group nearest to you, and information about when they are meeting. If you don’t have a group near you and would like to help us start one, please contact us -

Takes you to contact us page - you can then email….

[Janann25 in reply to DorsetLady]

Thank you - I’ve found the Contact page and have emailed them.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Janann25]

Good -hope you can sort something out in your area…and well done for thinking of it!

[Rugger]

In 2017 two of us did exactly that in Yorkshire and now the group is thriving, even during the pandemic on Zoom, but starting to meet in person again. All the best!

[Janann25 in reply to Rugger]

Thank you so much for your encouragement. I just hope I haven’t bitten off more than I can chew!!!

[Rugger in reply to Janann25]

I am sure you will be fine. Head Office will give you guidance and all you need to do in the first place is find a venue and put a post on here to ask if anyone is interested. (Choose somewhere close to you, so you do the least travelling!) Hopefully, someone else will help with future organisation, which can be as much or as little as you like. We developed a 'committee' of 4 - I am somewhat of a sleeping partner at the moment!

In the charity's NewsWire newsletter, there are articles written by Group Organisers. It sounds a very grand title, but we all started by just having a cuppa together in a cafe or garden centre etc. It needn't develop into anything more than that, unless you want it to.

You may even find that you make some new friends through the group - people you would never have met if it wasn't for PMR &/or GCA!

[Janann25 in reply to Rugger]

As soon as I get a reply from the BLF email I sent to them, I’ll get started.

So sorry, I meant a reply from PMRGCA - I used to help my husband run a BLF group and I must have had that on my mind 🙄