What is your involvement with Solace?
I have been a Peer Mentor on the WiSER project for two years.
What do you enjoy about your role?
I have loved meeting other Peer Mentors and connecting with other people with lived experience. I get to work with people of all ages and from different backgrounds. It’s such a rewarding experience and makes mine and other people’s lives more positive.
Can you tell me about one of the most memorable days/experiences you have had?
I was supporting someone that had an upcoming court case and she was feeling very anxious and distressed about the whole process. I spoke with her on the Friday at 5pm and the court case was at 9am on Monday so this was the last chance to prep her, however she was struggling at the thought of going to court on her own. As the weekend was approaching, I had a lot of trouble trying to get in touch with the relevant services in order to provide additional support to my client and I started to panic. After a lot of phone calls and persistence, I eventually managed to arrange the appropriate support and for someone to attend the court case on the Monday morning. I felt like I was a vital part of this arrangement and ensured the client got the support she needed to feel as confident as possible attending the court case.
This process also brought to light other issues including that the client was living in a care home that was speaking to her inappropriately and was shouting at her asking why she was still in contact with the perpetrator. Without me being in contact with her care home to arrange the support for the court case, this wouldn’t have otherwise been recognised.
Can you describe Solace in 3 words?
Healing
Knowledgeable
Consistent
If you had one wish for women and girls for the next 50 years, what would you ask for?
All perpetrators to be jailed.