One person, so many lives changed

Very best wishes to Maria, who is leaving FiA after fifteen years of incredible service. As a Polish speaker, Maria has supported countless people, breaking isolation and offering both a listening ear and a reassuring voice from home.

She helped with translations, GP registrations, obtaining ID, writing CVs, job searches, self-employment and housing and so much more.  Many of those she supported were living with poor mental health after traumatic experiences, or were struggling with addiction, and needed help accessing the right services.  Some had been lured to the UK with false promises of work and found themselves on the streets with no way home.

Maria also ran Polish-speaking alcohol and drug support groups and organised Saturday trips to London attractions such as the Natural History Museum and the Greenwich Maritime Museum.  Her approach was always holistic, seeing the whole person, with physical, mental, social and spiritual needs.

She told us one of her special memories:  “In the past we allowed the service users to have a nap in the church hall during the day.  Usually a few of them were asleep there when in the same room we were having the alcohol & drug group sessions. After a few weeks one of the service users who regularly had a nap there came to me and said that in fact he had been coming there on purpose not to sleep, but to listen to the workshops.  He had been too ashamed to admit he had an addiction and did not feel comfortable to join the group but what he heard during the sessions made him more aware of his problem and gave him the motivation to address it.”

Thank you for making such a lasting difference, Maria.  We will all miss you.

Trustees

We’re delighted to welcome three new Trustees - Tom Barber, Brandie Opone and Liz Robinson.  You can read about them here.

At the same time, we’d like to say a heartfelt thank you to our outgoing Trustees,  Barry Angel, Clive Douglas and Pauline Southgate, for their commitment, wisdom and hard work in support of FiA.  We’re incredibly grateful for all you’ve given.