This is the story of Hugo’s journey and is a wonderful example of how the Wellbeing Matters team and our amazing voluntary sector organisations work together to build strong relationships and partnerships that help our clients as individuals and our community as a whole. This case study has been a result of all involved for two years showing that change doesn’t happen overnight.
Jane has recorded Hugo's story as an audio file (includes subtitles) - grab a brew sit back and listen to Hugo's inspiring story! (you can also read it below)
Hugo has been part of the men’s peer support group, Talk About it Mate, for two years. Originally referred to the group by Charlie, a Community Connector, as a participant Hugo quickly went from strength to strength in the group and took on a more formal volunteering role. Each week he has shown dedication and his caring and compassionate nature to the men in the group. He has been an asset to the group’s leader, Mike, who has supported Hugo to build his skills and experience.
Hugo felt that he wanted to do something more for the men in the peer support group. This meets weekly and Hugo wanted to give the men another opportunity to meet to keep them engaged. He discussed his idea with Mike and The Brew Crew was formed. Hugo took the lead in setting up the group with the support and guidance of Mike. The men got to together every Saturday morning to have a brew, have a chat and play some games. It has been and still is a very successful group.
The experiences Hugo has had with has led to him, and his partner and friends, wanting to set up their own group which will take over the Brew Crew and start some new activities of their own. They are in the process of forming at the moment and will be fully constituted by the end of this year. This will give Hugo even more skills and experience.
Charlie, Community Connector for Walkden and Little Hulton
I first met Hugo at the chatty benches in Walkden. The chatty benches are an initiative which aims to tackle loneliness and isolation in this neighbourhood. We had a chat at the benches and X told me his partner was shopping and he was just waiting for her. I asked him if he knew about the brilliant men’s group downstairs in the shopping centre called ‘Talk about it Mate’. Hugo confirmed he knew the venue but did not know about the group, but he may drop in. A few weeks later I bumped into Hugo at the group and he confirmed he was really enjoying attending. I could see that Hugo and Mike who facilitates ‘Talk about it Mate’ had a great rapport.
A couple of months later Hugo was referred through to the WBM service and we started to do some work together. Hugo informed me that he was interested in trying to get fit and healthy. We discussed a referral to ‘Empower You’ which is a local charity that supports people to get more active. Since working with Hugo I have seen a transformation in him which has been quite remarkable. He now volunteers at TAIM and has also gone on to create his own group ‘the brew crew’. His partner has also been involved and like Hugo she has gone onto to develop her own ‘hidden illnesses group, both with the support of Mike from TAIM and the volunteer development officer Jane at Salford CVS.
I remember Hugo telling me he once looked in the mirror and thought who am I, he confirms he now looks in the mirror and sees a man with a sense of purpose and a place of belonging. I feel privileged to have been a small part of Hugo’s new journey, he truly is an inspiration to others.
Mike From Talk about it mate gave this feedback about Hugo
Hugo was referred into Talk About It Mate in early 2022. After a couple of introductory calls he soon joined us just a few weeks into the then newly formed Walkden men’s group. Hugo quickly began to open-up and his personality really shone through, and I noticed how highly the group thought of him. As the months progressed, I developed a really strong working relationship with Hugo through our 1:1 meetings and he expressed a desire to help out more and develop some skills and training. Then Hugo raised the idea of an additional meet up for the men to socialise and chat outside the sessions at which point I began to train him as a volunteer. As we strive to be a user-led organisation I was excited to support Hugo to make this happen and by the summer of 2022, ‘The Brew Crew’ was launched. This proved to be an excellent accompaniment to the weekly peer support session. Initially I was on hand to support Hugo with these sessions and observed that his confidence had grown to such a stage where he was leading with care, compassion and personality. I watched carefully and saw how his warmth transmitted to all participants and the impact this had on the whole group.
The transformation in Hugo has been incredible, and a real joy to witness. Now I consider Hugo to not only be a trusted volunteer, but also a brilliant friend. I know the group is in good hands with Hugo and he is capable of leading both peer support sessions and brew and chat groups. As winter approached, we decided to move The Brew Crew to Saturday mornings and Hugo was able to pitch for funding alongside me at the Rotary Club’s ‘Dragon’s Den’ evening. I felt more confident with him beside me! Since expanding the Brew Crew, his confidence and competency have continued to grow, and he always offers to support our work. At this stage I realised that the best way to support Hugo’s development was to connect him with Salford CVS so he could offer ‘The Brew Crew’ through his own community organisation to develop his autonomy and leadership further. I know X will continue to support the men at the TAIM Walkden group for the foreseeable future. It is wonderful to see how warmly people respond to Hugo and root for him, just as he does for them. Meeting men like Hugo is precisely why I do this work and when he tells us how he can’t believe how far he has come, it fills me with pride!
Jane, Development Worker for Little Hulton and Walkden comments:
It’s been a pleasure to work with Hugo and see his confidence and skills grow. He cares so much about people and is always looking out for them. Hugo is now the chair of the new group called FINS (Friends In Need Salford). He now chairs the meetings and works well with the other committee members to discuss, plan and move the group forward. The Brew Crew has now reestablished in Walkden meeting on Saturday mornings and the Invisible Illness group will be starting soon. Hugo is a great guy and he never fails to meet me with a high five and a joke. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for him.
Salford CVS provide support to groups at various stages of development, such as Talk About it Mate, who is now a well established and respected group in the community to new groups and volunteers who want to start new ventures of their own. At SCVS we know it is not a one size fits all approach so we are able to tailor our support to the needs of the group and the individuals, providing them with advice and guidance at the right time, taking them through the process of setting up, governance, funding and policies. This foundation provides a good standing for groups to go on to do what they do best which is making an impact and a difference to the people in Salford.
A quote from Hugo
“ I have loved every second of the journey I’ve been on so far, even if it’s been hard or out of my comfort zone I’ve always had the most amazing people behind me helping me. To me it’s never just been about me but to better everyone moving forward.”
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