Earlier this week we celebrated the launch of our brand new Bolton Hub, which will be delivered at Bolton Lads and Girls Club’s Infinity Centre.

The event brought together local services, partners and even Bolton Mayor and Mayoress, who came to hear more about the peer support Alfie’s Squad will soon be offering to families bereaved by suicide from across the Bolton area.

We’re very grateful to the team at Bolton Lads and Girls Club for helping us give guests such a warm welcome, and to Adele Owen, Greater Manchester Suicide Prevention and Bereavement Support Programme Manager, who shared her pride in seeing Alfie’s Squad become part of Greater Manchester’s support network.

Charity founders Allison and Alfie, spoke about the journey of Alfie’s Squad and the milestones the wider team are working hard to deliver.

Allison said,

“It’s been a bit surreal for me this week. We’ve gone from Alfie’s idea to support other children and young people, to our first bub in Liverpool, and now I’m standing in front of a room of professionals explaining how we can reach even more families in Bolton with our second hub.”

We also heard from Professor Pooja Saini, whose research has helped capture some of the positive impact being felt across families attending Alfie’s Squad.

Among our guests was Bolton mum Katie, who has been travelling with her son Josh to Liverpool for support for quite some time.

Katie said,

“We’ve been lucky enough to travel to Liverpool, but having Alfie’s Squad here in Bolton means more families won’t have to struggle alone. My son enjoys fun activities with others who understand, and I’ve found my own support with other parents. I’m looking forward to help others like us settle into the new Hub, but we’ll still make the occasional trip to Liverpool to see the friends we’ve been lucky to make.”

Visitors were given a tour of the welcoming space where young people will spend time together, and tried out the simple referral process. Within 24 hours of the launch, the first referrals for the Bolton Hub had already arrived.

Alfie’s Squad Bolton Hub officially opens mid-October, offering weekly peer support groups for children and young people aged 6–17. These sessions give young members the chance to build friendships, grow in confidence, and have fun, while their parents and carers also find support.

If your family, or a family you’re working with, has lost a loved one to suicide, you can find out more and make a referral here:

• Making a referral to Alfie’s Squad