Get The Boys A Lift
Get The Boys A Lift (GTBAL) is a not-for-profit organisation launched by a group of friends which provides free mental health support to the people of Pembrokeshire while promoting open discussions about mental wellbeing.
The project has gone from strength to strength since 2016, now offering a mix of in-person and online counselling services to anyone over 17.
The team run a clothing and coffee shop in Haverfordwest called ‘Our Place’, offering a unique café experience where visitors can chat to counsellors and make new friends. The team dog, Golden Doodle Dodger, brings a smile to everyone he greets. Since the Our Place café opened in 2019, the project’s drop-in service has provided around 500 people with free and easy support, without the challenge of extensive waiting lists.
The project’s online counselling service, which launched during the pandemic, also gives clients the option to have sessions remotely. With support from the National Lottery Community Fund, the project was able to buy a coffee van in 2022, allowing representatives to travel further afield, not only raising funds to maintain the organisation’s services, but promoting its core message about the importance of openness around mental health.
GTBAL runs regular events across the region, including outreach in schools and workplaces as well as community events. Its ‘Break the Stigma’ coffee van has been stationed at Freshwater West in Pembrokeshire across the summer, giving the team a chance to spread the GTBAL message to a wider audience, not only to local people, but the region’s many visitors.
Profits from the project’s bespoke clothing range, which includes everything from hoodies to beach towels, go back into the team’s crucial work.
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