Jane is an incredible volunteer who, for ten years, has dedicated many hours of her time, care and skills to Alana House.
Jane decided to volunteer at Alana House because: “I could recognise the impact that Alana House has in supporting women in crisis in a holistic way – it really makes a difference to their lives. I have always felt supported by the amazing team at Alana House, which helps me to volunteer with confidence and develop more skills.”
Since 2015, Jane has taken on a wide range of voluntary roles at Alana House, including:
- Co-facilitating groups including Domestic Abuse Recovery Toolkit, Sexual Violence Recovery Toolkit and Healing Trauma
- Being a support assistant for Alana House, holding a small caseload of women and providing holistic, emotional and practical support
- Attending and helping with events at Alana House, including Christmas events, summer days out and the Alana House Community Café
Lynda, Alana House’s Team Leader, said: “Jane is an absolute joy to work alongside. We have run a number of groups together and each time I am able to focus on the main facilitation of the material, confident in the knowledge that Jane has everything else covered! Her warm empathic approach provides a welcome and safe environment to the women, some of whom have never undertaken group work before. I look forward to our next group, knowing that Jane makes the dream team!’”
Jane’s incredible contribution to Alana House’s group work is evident by what some of the women attending Alana House had to say about her:
“Lynda and Jane are lovely and very understanding. I love doing courses with them.”
“Please don’t stop this group. We are very happy together here. I love Lynda and Jane. I am very happy here, I love Alana House. This is my second house.”
“I wanted to say thank you to Alana House and the team, Lynda and Jane. Love you guys.”
Most recently, Jane has been involved in courts and custody voluntary work at Alana House. This project aims to support women involved with (or at risk of being involved with) the Criminal Justice System. Alana House volunteers meet women in police custody suites to share information about Alana House and complete referrals where appropriate. This face-to-face contact, rather than over the phone or by leaflet, hopes to break down the barrier to accessing support. Volunteers also attend courts with women, providing emotional and practical support. Find out more here.
Jane’s support for this project is invaluable. She is consistently and reliably available for court appearances and has extensive experience supporting women during court hearings. Jane has also attended meetings with service users and solicitors, ensuring the smooth facilitation of the legal discussions, in preparation for court appearances.
Maisie, Alana House’s Lead Administrator and Custody and Courts Volunteer Coordinator, said: “Working with Jane is an absolute pleasure. Her availability to support women, whether in a group, court, or custody, gives us confidence and reassurance. Jane’s trauma-informed approach, passion for supporting women, and reliability make a significant positive impact on women accessing Alana House. I don’t know where we’d be without her, thank you Jane!”
When asked how she feels about being nominated as our Supporter of the Month, Jane said: “I feel proud and very flattered to be nominated as Supporter of the Month. It’s a real boost to my confidence and I feel overwhelmed by all the kind words.”
There is no doubt that Jane’s support has contributed to the life-changing work that Alana House does. We are very grateful to her – she is a superstar and our Supporter of the Month!
If you are interested in volunteering at Alana House, please get in touch by emailing volunteering@pactcharity.org.
