One of my favourite Cohort 4 achievements

Cohort 4 is a community of women who share elements of shared experience. We are a peer support and mentoring women’s group for women who experience multiple and complex disadvantage.  Most of the group have experienced domestic abuse and we certainly believe there is little by way of longer-term, practical support for those surviving domestic abuse in our community. It was over the past fortnight that we all stepped up to help a sister in distress.

Alice (not her real name) had fled domestic abuse and felt she had no one to turn to. She’d had two telephone calls from a domestic abuse charity, had contacted the local authority, but had left her home with only a few plastic bags of belongings. We took a message and the question, ‘Can you help?’

A community of women

This is where we get a chance to demonstrate what we do in and for our community, and why we are so special. Within a week Alice had keys to her new home, we had put a call out to our wider community of women, to other social enterprises, local charities, and community groups we work with. We collected some excellent nearly new furniture, a new gas cooker, and all the essentials to make a lovely home. When collecting items, I always ask myself if I’d be happy with that item in my home, and if it is yes, if is clean and in good condition, we’ll pick it up and make sure it is safely delivered and put in place. Alice says that she’s never had to ask anyone for help in her life and can’t believe what the Cohort 4 community of women has done for her and she looks forward to being part of the social network. She particularly wants to undertake the ‘Own My Life’ recovery programme.

A big thank you

Thanks to everyone who has donated exactly what Alice asked for and needed. Special thanks to J and M for the brand new cooker, to CDT for the double bed, to NC Maintenance for putting up curtain rails to ensure privacy, to C and his removal team and to every Cohort 4 woman, team member, volunteer and friend for supporting this woman to rebuild her self-worth and life.

Cohort 4 and everyone attached to it is a very special place. Thank you!