Annual Report 2013/14
“I am alive and my son has a mum because of the love I received from One25.� Hannah
“I’ve achieved many wonderful things at One25 that have empowered me as a woman. To know that from being a battered, bruised woman I can now do anything with self-belief ...it’s amazing.” Donna
Welcome Welcome to our annual review where we share with you some of our joys and challenges of the past year. More women than ever before have escaped sex-work and active addiction, which only happens with your marvellous support. Three highlights over the past year spring to mind. One was winning two awards for our work: the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service and the South West Impact Award! My other highlights are inspired by the women. The first was our sponsored Firewalk when the first five people to walk over red hot coals were our service users. The other was our Dinner4Good launch where five women joined with Barny Haughton to cook a fundraising feast for 30 supporters, raising £1100! These women demonstrate the changes that can be achieved with One25’s care.
Mary McGinty
We still face many challenges: less funding, difficulties in getting women housed and changes in benefits, but there are new opportunities for One25 to work in closer partnership with other agencies to develop new ways of meeting the women’s needs. We are blessed to have so much goodwill and passion around us that enables One25 to continue helping women to step away from the streets. As ‘Esther’ simply puts it: “I survived because of your loving support.”
Mary McGinty, Chair of Trustees
45
women stopped street sex working
Crisis care on the night van From February to May 2014, police ran an intensive crackdown on Bristol’s street sex-work scene. While we noted benefits for residents and in the police signposting some hard-toreach women to One25, we also saw an increase in violence and chaotic behaviour on the streets. Volunteer, Jo Ritchie, describes an attack during this time: “It was a quiet night due to the increase of police cars persistently circling the streets. At midnight we were doing one last scoop of Fishponds Road when I spotted Tara in the darkness. She looked tired, scared and in deep pain as she struggled to get onto the van. As she got closer, I noticed heavy bruising around her eyes. She disclosed that she’d been brutally assaulted.
Police launch crackdown
“Tara was shocked as her attacker was a regular punter she’d known for years.” Tara was shocked as her attacker was a regular punter she’d known for years. He’d stabbed her with a screwdriver and beaten her with a pan so hard that the handle bent. She was trapped in his flat and thought she was going to die. She winced as she showed us the bruises that mapped out the attack.
Volunteer, Jo Ritchie
Ugly Mugs build evidence
“I thank God for the van. When no-one is out there with you on those dark streets, the van ladies are. Thank you.” Emma
Jo and the team set off
Safe haven in a crisis
Ugly Mugs warn others
I suggested we complete an ‘Ugly Mug’ form as she wanted to report to the police and was keen to warn other women. Tara asked that the police call her to photograph her injuries. We wrote every detail down so that One25’s caseworkers could follow up.
Tara is receiving expert care from One25’s caseworkers. She made a statement and the man was arrested. However, she remains extremely vulnerable. We are deeply grateful to van volunteers like Jo for providing crisis care on outreach and for regularly reminding Tara of how
A couple of months later Tina Newman, Vice Liaison Officer, rang to ask me to be a witness in Tara’s case to which I agreed. When I next saw Tara, she seemed anxious at the prospect of facing yet another court case. Would people really believe her? I told her that I believed her and had provided a supporting statement. This appeared to lighten a little of the weight she was carrying.”
“We hold hope that one day
53
she will believe in her own future.” valued she is. We hold hope that one day Tara will believe in her own future and be able to step away from the streets.
women like Tara were supported after an attack
a year in Drop-in Drop-in remains a wonderful mixture of chaos and peace, drama and nurture! On average, eleven women visit daily, enjoying a healthy, warm and secure environment. We have a new St Mungo’s worker who provides sound practical help and support around housing. She is fantastic in crisis situations, using her skills and leverage with housing providers to have a massively positive impact on our homeless women. Drop-in is going from strength to strength, largely due to our service-users’ input on how we run things. We give women their voice in a bi-monthly user forum. In January, I saw our cooks become a professional team, taking huge pride and
Pampering on Valentines
pleasure in their work and transforming drop-in into a beautiful, candle-lit dining room. My other personal highlight was the pride I felt when our women walked on fire with me to promote One25 and raise £700! These women have been through so much yet they gave time, commitment and passion back to One25. I’ve had the privilege to work with the most inspiring women at drop-in. Here, in safety, these women can abandon their masks, show love and gratitude to us and each other, and begin the journey of healing. Tasha Cornwell, Drop-in Caseworker
Our drop-in haven
Proud of our masterchefs!
“I love going to drop-in: they’ve got everything covered. I go in a wreck and come out a new woman.” Sylvia
Three cheers for volunteers! “I get incredible satisfaction from making an immediate difference to someone’s wellbeing - even if just food and a sympathetic ear. I love the camaraderie.” Janet, Volunteer Our volunteers’ acts of kindness embody One25’s values of non-judgemental, person-centred care, and unconditional love. These acts build the foundations of the relationships that enable staff to work with Bristol’s most marginalised women and empower them to make changes to their lives. Last year 127 volunteers donated over 7,000 hours of their time. They were out on cold dark nights; gave hot meals and emotional support in drop-in; served guests at fundraising events; jumped out of planes; spoke compassionately in talks around the South West; baked cakes;
The Queen’s Award
stamped envelopes and much more. Their dedication won the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service! I am constantly amazed and humbled by our volunteers’ boundless generosity. We couldn’t run One25 without these remarkable women and men, so on behalf of all the staff let me say thank you for coming out day and night to be there for the women. Finally I’ll give ‘Lyra’ the last word: “You lot are angels in disguise.” Lyra Sophie Whitaker, Business Manager
Angels in disguise!
We thank 127 volunteers
“I don’t know what I’d do without the volunteers. I tell those ladies things I can’t tell anyone else and they don’t judge me: they understand and give advice.” Mena
Our year in
casework
2013/14 May 2013 onwards Housing and poverty crisis More women struggling with poverty turn to our caseworkers for help with benefits and housing. A St Mungo’s housing worker visits drop-in regularly, and we make plans for an all-night drop-in at the Spring of Hope. Women’s nightshelter
September 2013 Chloe at University! Chloe takes another step towards her dream of ‘giving back,’ starting a BSc in Case Management in the Community to become a mental health worker. Her first placement is at her former rehab! Chloe at Uni
“When I was in hospital for 9 weeks, One25 was there. When I was homeless, One25 and helped me to get a home. I would have been lost without you.” Jenny
October 2013 Heart-break
In memory of Natasha
We mourn the death of Natasha, who only last summer was safe at rehab discussing her aspirations with her mum, sister and One25 caseworker, Karen. Five months later, Karen runs the Bath Half Marathon in memory of Natasha, raising £4000 and much awareness.
Jan - Feb 2014 Police consult One25 Cracking down on Bristol’s street sex-work, Avon and Somerset police consult One25 on women’s safety and how to signpost women to One25 for support. Advising the police
March 2014 All change We say a very sad goodbye to our two therapeutic caseworkers, welcome Mel as our first drop-in assistant, and receive funding for our first Independent Domestic and Sexual Violence Advisor. New support worker
46
women became abstinent from drugs and alcohol and 47 were more safely housed.
OUT THERE IN the community “Barcan Woodward is delighted to support such a truly inspirational charity. We’ve raised thousands of pounds from bake sales and dress down Fridays to skydiving and fire-walking. Our team have taken great pride in raising so much money and had a great deal of fun along the way!” Amanda Woollaston, Barcan Woodward
Lawyers
fall from
the sky
Woodlands Church recently organised a Love Running campaign, donating £3000 to One25! They wrote: “It’s a huge privilege for Woodlands to support your incredible work, even in a small way. May God continue to help you and sustain you in all you do.” 600 Lov
eRunnin
g heroe
s
“I love @One25Charity because they liberate women from the awful idea that they are worth nothing and give them hope and a future” @SoRiseAndShine, Twitter supporter
Gema took on Give It Up, arranged a workplace sponsored run and clothes and cake collections for One25. She says: “I saw One25’s passion for supporting these vulnerable women and it tugged on my heart strings. I raised over £900 by giving up hot water for 125 freezing winter days which was incredibly hard, but ultimately I felt humbled, inspired and happy that I’d given a little back to my community. I’m thinking of my next challenge already!” No hot w
ater for G
ema
It was wonderful to see 200 of One25’s friends celebrating together at the One25 Auction Extravaganza 2013, raising £20,000. We especially loved the tables of police and service users side by side, taking advantage of photo opportunities! Happy times
n
at the auctio
A huge thank you to The Centre for Social Justice for championing our women’s voices at the top. Director, Christian Guy wrote: “I am deeply inspired by One25’s commitment, passion and determination to make a difference in the lives of some of the most misunderstood people in your city.”
Christian from CSJ
“I can’t believe they’ve raised money for us girls! I never knew so many people cared.” Nicky
FINANCIAL SUMMARY
Numbers have been rounded to the nearest thousand pounds. For One25’s audited accounts for 2013/14 please see www.charitycommission.gov.uk.
The year ahead We’re excited about our new opportunities, many made possible through new partnerships. However it’s your support that not only keeps One25’s doors open but enables us to respond immediately to the evolving needs of the women. While we saw our overall funding drop by over £60,000 last year, we were delighted to see that more people are donating. If this increase continues, many more lives can be changed. Volunteers are vital. To ensure that they are best able to deliver a standout service we are appointing a volunteer manager to improve recruitment, training and supervision. Thanks to local funding, we are appointing our first ever Independent, Domestic and Sexual Violence Advisor (IDSVA), to support women as they seek justice and access victim support services.
One25 and St Mungo’s will deliver the Assertive Engagement Service together as part of Bristol’s new Community Mental Health services. We will partner with Crisis Centre Ministries to develop an all-night drop-in for homeless women. Bristol Drugs Project will start a weekly harm reduction service on our van to improve health awareness and reduce the risk of infected needles. It would be impossible to do all this and keep our current services without your support. Together, we can help more women to step away from the streets and build new lives. Gill Nowland, CEO
“My hopes for the future? I want to stay clean, have a relationship with my twins and keep learning. I never want to go back to that life again.” Grace
Lisa’s story “I had a privileged upbringing in some ways, living in the countryside in a family of teachers, but from the age of two my Dad sexually abused me... I was very closed down and was bullied at school, yet I did well academically – even taking GCSEs a year early. I dreamt about being an artist or designer but thought it was impossible for me. My family split and I left home at 16 to do menial work. I started drinking, taking drugs to feel less petrified all the time and sleeping with really inappropriate men. Soon I was trapped in prostitution to fund my crack addiction. I fled a very violent relationship and arrived in Bristol, malnourished, homeless and in shock.
“Without One25 I wouldn’t have got out alive: I’m confident of that.” A working girl told me about drop-in and soon I was here every day. One25 helped me in my darkest hours, taking me to hospital when I was beaten, providing clothes, showers, everything. I used the van a lot – those ladies never judged me and I knew that if I went missing they’d notice. One25 was my first contact with the real world and it gave me hope. My worker helped me build a support network, benefits and a safe home: this
was the start of my recovery! She helped me through a slow, painful detox to come off – and stay off – drugs. Today I feel real freedom and hope for my future. I haven’t sex-worked or used drugs for three years and with One25’s support I learned to deal with the fears and memories that flooded back. I volunteer for One25; I’ve studied counselling and I work with addicts to change their lives. I’ve got an amazing relationship back with my mum too – she’s so proud of me! Without One25 I wouldn’t have got out alive: I’m confident of that. I still see girls on the streets and think ‘they never aspire to that. They’re always someone’s daughter. They all deserve love’. You loved me before I could love myself and it gave me courage that change was possible. It’s like the stabilisers are off now! You know when a parent lets go of the bicycle and the kid doesn’t realise? I feel like that!”
Lisa and Mum
DONATE “When I was on the streets every night I got in a car I didn’t know if I was coming back alive. But you gave me a second chance at life. Today I’m three years clean from drugs! I’ve got my own home, a relationship back with my daughters and a full time job. One25 saves lives – it saved mine.” Rachel
Over a year... £5 a month takes a woman like Rachel from rough sleeping to a safe place to stay. £12 a month helps her stabilise her home; from sourcing furniture to registering her with a local doctor. £20 provides monthly support to help her build a new life: whether that’s parenting advice CV support or addressing longterm trauma.
Join us in helping women like Rachel move from street-life to recovery by donating at www. one25.org.uk. With your support we can see many more women freed from abuse.
our mission One25 reaches out to women trapped in or vulnerable to street sex work, supporting them to break free and build new lives away from violence, poverty and addiction.
one25 The Grosvenor Centre, 138A Grosvenor Road, Bristol BS2 8YA tel: 0117 909 8832 fax: 0117 941 2382 email: office@one25.org.uk online: www.one25.org.uk blog: www.one25blog.com facebook.com/one25charity
@one25charity
youtube.com/one25tv
one25 Limited is a company limited by guarantee. Registered in England. Reg. No. 3362644. It is registered as a charity. Reg. No. 1062391. Registered office: The Grosvenor Centre, 138a Grosvenor Road, St. Pauls, Bristol BS2 8YA Please recycle when finished with. Design & Production: nicjonesdesign.com