Greater Manchester’s first gambling support programme for women is coming to Oldham.

The ‘Patchwork programme’ sessions, held in the evening, are funded by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and will be open to women who have been affected by gambling in Rochdale, Bury, and Oldham.

According to research by BeGambleAware, around two in five female problem gamblers said that stigma was a barrier to accessing treatment.

Additionally, women were much more likely to be negatively affected by a spouse or partner’s gambling than men.

Beth Sammut, who is involved with the programme, run by community interest company Deal Me Out and the ‘first of its kind’ in Greater Manchester, said: “While there are services out there, a lot of them are quite male-centric.

“Like Gamblers Anonymous – predominantly males go there and that can sometimes make women feel uncomfortable and like they don’t really have much in common.

“So we’ve set up the Patchwork programme, which has been funded by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.”

The sessions aim to help both women gamblers and ‘affected others’ – those who are impacted by other people’s gambling, such as friends or relatives.

The Oldham Times: Beth Thomas (Head of Support) and Beth Sammut receive a cheque from the National Lottery Community Fund in Wales to support the Welsh version of the women’s programme. Beth Thomas (Head of Support) and Beth Sammut receive a cheque from the National Lottery Community Fund in Wales to support the Welsh version of the women’s programme.

The ‘facilitators’ running the sessions all have lived experience of gambling, or have been an affected other themselves, meaning those behind the sessions understand the issues on a personal level.

“It is designed by women, for women,” Beth added.

The 24-week programme will have two groups running in parallel with each other: women who have been affected through personal addiction, and women who are ‘affected others.’

Five online sessions will be followed by one live meet, repeated four times.

The final live meet will be a celebration of everything the group has been through over the programme.

Beth said: “We’re hoping that the ladies get a lot out of this, both from the facilitators and each other – we want them to feel like they’ve got a network and know that they’re not alone.”

The sessions are due to start on May 3. Those interested in joining the sessions can email hello@patchworkgroup.org.