THE BRIDGE NETWORK is the rebrand of ‘Mothering Women,’ an initiative originally founded to connect younger women with older, wiser individuals and professionals. During the operation of Mothering Women, it became evident that women, particularly from ethnic minority backgrounds, were actively seeking support in areas such as mentoring, counselling, and life coaching. While our services were always open to all, we observed that women from diverse ethnic backgrounds were particularly drawn to the platform. In addition, we engaged with organisations such as YMCA North London to provide counselling services and the Department of Health and Social Care, where we collaborated on addressing the needs of ethnic women, particularly in relation to women's health.

As we expanded and served women across the UK, we hosted a series of online workshops, which proved to be extremely beneficial based on the positive feedback we received. However, as we continued to engage with the community, it became clear that there were still significant gaps in service provision that needed to be addressed. This prompted the decision to rebrand and broaden the scope of our platform.

Upon review, we recognised a critical need for similar support services for men. Research indicated that while there is a wealth of support available for women in crisis, there is a severe lack of services for men, particularly in areas related to crisis or abuse. This is an urgent issue, as statistics reveal that suicide rates among men are significantly higher than those of women, underscoring the need for tailored support.

Moreover, feedback from our workshops highlighted a broader demand for general life support across various domains. Responding to these insights, we decided to expand our service offering to include five key areas of support: counselling, mentoring, legal support, healthcare/medical support, and crisis support. This holistic approach is designed to meet the diverse and evolving needs of individuals, ensuring that no one is left without the resources necessary to overcome life’s challenges.