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Status
Received: on time
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Income
£81.0K
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Spending
£81.1K
Public benefits
PUBLIC BENEFIT STATEMENT The purposes of MAST are: I) To bring relief to persons in Mourne who are suffering hardship, sickness or distress as a result of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. We address the social and emotional needs of victims and survivors, their families and carers; we provide recognition and acknowledgement of their trauma. This
can lead to increased emotional health and wellbeing, improved self-esteem, reduced anxiety and stress. We demonstrate this by always having an open door to our members where they can come in times of need for advice, friendship, help and guidance. We have background support in place whereby we can signpost members for further help and guidance covering many situations. Our Befriending Service has a listening ear and the facility to accompany members to hospital appointments and this eases the stress for members and their families. (II) To advance the education of the public in Mourne and elsewhere in effects of the Troubles and especially the effects of the Troubles on the children. Our members have the chance to take part in transgenerational activities which allow generations of families to come together and enjoy time together. It gives members a chance to interact with others, both within our own group and with other similar innocent victims groups that we network with throughout Northern Ireland. This addresses social and emotional needs, gives recognition and acknowledgement of the trauma they have suffered and are still suffering from. We have demonstrated this through local media showing our group taking part in our activities. We network with a group from southern Ireland and have had visits to the Lord Mayor of Dublin and The Dail where we had the opportunity to explain the history of Mast and exactly what we do as a group and how this greatly benefits members. We also had visits from the Irish Dept of Foreign Affairs & Trade. MAST has taken part in several surveys over the years conducted by students in Universities at home and abroad who are studying the Troubles and the effects on individuals and communities. This then shows the public how MAST has grown over the years and how it continues to benefit its members. (III) To provide support and counselling services in Mourne for victims of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. MAST members are able to benefit from the advice, guidance and support provided through our office. Staff members have been trained by the Victims and Survivors service on mental health issues, what to look out for and who to refer to in cases of need. Members are given social inclusion through organised workshops, training and activities. This also gives members increased self-esteem and inclusion which reduces anxiety and stress. New friendships are formed which reduces social isolation. We demonstrate this by our “Drop –In”, listening ear service, befriending services, weekly and monthly group meetings where members can learn new skills through crafts and facilitators and reduce isolation by engaging with others while learning at the same time. Those with mental health problems who request counselling are referred to the appropriate counsellor through the Victims and Survivors Service. This service is provided to members free of charge. MAST beneficiaries are victims and survivors of the Troubles of Northern Ireland, their families and carers. There is no harm flowing from this purpose. MAST has no private benefit. These benefits are demonstrated through evaluations following each organised event/activity. Correspondence from members and feedback surveys back this up. Mast’s action plan is reviewed quarterly by our funder, Victims & Survivors Service and checks carried out regularly to ensure that all guidelines are being followed.
... [more] [less]What your organisation does
MAST provides a drop in centre which gives members the chance to seek advice, help with completion of forms, chat and be assured of a listening ear, all in confidence. MAST have two ladies groups, one meets each Wednesday for 40 weeks per year and the other is for ladies over retirement age and these meet once a month for 10 months. These ladies
groups teach new skills and encourage social inclusion, new friendships and raise self esteem. The ladies benefit from talks, presentations and this in turn reduces social isolation. We have 3 respite trips per year which include cultural, educational and recreational activities. Once a year we have a residential respite trip which lots of our widowed members really look forward to as they are with people who understand the pain of losing a loved one to terrorism. We provide a befriending service for those who cannot attend our organised events/activities in order to decrease social isolation and help with other aspects of wellbeing. We include second and third generation victims through our transgenerational events as we feel it is important to educate our children on family history and moving forward.
... [more] [less]The charity’s classifications
- The relief of those in need by reason of youth, age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage
Who the charity helps
- Carers
- Victim support
How the charity works
- Advice/advocacy/information
- Cultural
- Education/training
- General charitable purposes
- Heritage/historical
- Relief of poverty
