We could not find services that provided what was required and we could not put our clients in contact with one another ourselves because of the Data Protection Act 1998. We decided that, because we could not find anything, we had to create something ourselves.
We were already funded by the Aberdeenshire change fund for older people to provide signposting for older people. We went to the change fund with a funding proposal and evidence showing why the project was necessary. It accepted the proposal and funded it.
It was incredibly easy. Aberdeenshire Council has been very supportive and we have been really lucky. We are now being funded through the integrated care fund for the next 12 months. We have a good, strong relationship with Aberdeenshire Council because we have always been able to demonstrate that the project is working, is value for money and is doing good work.
The project did not grow in the way that we thought it would. Our initial idea was that we would match up similarly minded people and they would go off in pairs. Because we had such a large group to begin with, we decided to get them all together to see which pairs naturally formed. However, the group formed, stayed formed and has taken everyone in as time has passed. That is not what we thought was going to happen at all, but we are really pleased.
All of the members tried to join something after they were bereaved. They were put off because they felt that they were excluded, that the group was cliquey, that no one was there to greet them or that things were not explained to them. Everyone had a reason why they had tried to do something and had been put off and just retreated that little bit further.
Every single person in the group knows what it is like for someone to go along to a group where they do not know anyone else and they are the stranger. They are very conscious of that, and they will always—all of them—take responsibility for welcoming new people in. The group is extremely strong and we are very proud of it.
Through the group, we have generated other spin-off groups throughout Aberdeenshire. We had only the one group when the project was piloted, and we still have people who come to that group from 20 or 30 miles away. They like the group that they joined, so they have stayed in it, although a couple of them have spun off to more local groups. Some of them are good recruiters for the other groups, because they tell people about them.
The process has been very organic. We have tried to operate with as little intervention as possible, with the exception of having someone there to ensure that everything goes okay and that people are welcomed in. The groups have been allowed to develop naturally, and we do not interfere.