Catherine Scott

I desiigned a poster as part of my work with Heart to Heart on the Support for Parents project.

Posters and fliers are now in most of the rural area where I am based to raise awareness of this new service.

Thought you might like to see it.

I am now  half way through my placement with Heart to Heart and it has been an amazing time so far. I have met many wonderful people and heard how people’s lives have been helped through the work of Heart to Heart or H2H who supports young people.

I have been speaking to the other volunteers who support adults or young people who have been affected by divorce or separation. I have been attending the adult support course which discuses in a group context subjects such as Coping with Change, Communication and Handling Conflict and a big one – Forgiveness.

The past few weeks have been a lot of preparation but now I am up and running with a project for parents. Rural Support for Parents aims to support adults who have been affected by separation or divorce from their partners and whose relationship with their children have been affected. I am in the process of developing a pilot service that will give a parent one to one support from a Heart to Heart worker or volunteer. They will listen and give the parent tools to deal with their relationships both for now and in the future.

About Families aims to support voluntary and statutory organisations to develop their services to meet the changing needs of parents and families.
Through an innovative ‘evidence into action’ cycle, About Families uses research evidence to support organisations to engage with their service
users and develop their services to provide further support to meet the needs of parents.

About Families provides support to plan and implement these service developments, with the involvement of service users.

About Families is currently working with Heart to Heart to develop support which is offered specifically for parents who have experienced divorce or separation.

Heart to Heart are currently working with the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships; About Families project to evaluate the service Heart to Heart provides.  We have expanded over the recent years to offer in addition to supporting adults who experience divorce or separation; a service to young people - H2H and are currently piloting support specific for parents.
If you or someone you know has received support from Heart to Heart in any way or your child has been supported by H2H, we would really value your input and your comments of Heart to Heart.  We are always looking for ways to improve our service and ensure that we are supporting you in the way that you need.

If this interests you and you would like to help us, please click the following link and answer just 10 questions.  All answers are confidential and please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about it.  Thank you for your help.
https://www.survey.ed.ac.uk/hearttoheart

Comments from a young person. 

 ”What was the best part about your experience of H2H?” 

Answer: Knowing that someone was always there for me, knowing that someone was there to listen and help me with what ever I had to say. This has been a great experience and helped me to achieve things that I never thought I could ever do! Feel that everything is going to get better all thanks to this course. I probably couldn’t have done anything at all without Jenni

Being able to get help from someone who is experienced and actually has a lot in common with me. The best part is knowing that I can make a different and just genuinely feel better about myself.”

The other day I had the privilege to meet one of the Urban Lifeguides in Stirling and have a chat to her over a cup of coffee. I asked her what excited her about this important role.

Since December 2010 Jenni has volunteered as a Lifeguide for the Heart to Heart project. She spends one hour a week with a young person for six weeks, talking to them about different ways of coping with parental divorce or separation at home.

She credits the volunteering experience with giving her more passion and drive to help others, as well as giving her new self confidence to apply the skills she has learned in many other areas of her life.

After some training with the charity she began meeting the young people. I enjoy helping young people by being there for them giving them an opportunity to talk about something difficult and painful in a safe non - judgemental environment.

Having experienced parental divorce and all the consequences attached to it, Jenny knows how important it is to have someone who is willing to listen to your experience and to explore ways of coping with a very difficult, life-changing event. What she enjoys most is being part of the young person’s healing process, seeing them get stronger by choosing constructive coping mechanisms as opposed to destructive ways of dealing with the pain.

Jenni admits that the role can be challenging but added: “It can be difficult hearing about situations in a young person’s life which you cannot change. Ultimately you cannot take away the fact that their parents have separated however, I acknowledge that experiencing hurt is part of their healing process and accepting what has happened. Another benefit is the great sense of purpose, especially when you can turn your own painful experience into a good experience by providing comfort and advice to others who are going through what you went through.”

H2H has 2 separate projects; an urban one and a rural one.  And although young people are young people wherever they are, life can vary greatly depending on where you live, e.g. a young person who lives in a rural community may travel two hours a day on a bus to get to school and have all the outdoor activities on their doorstep.  Whereas a young person who lives in an urban community may walk 30mins a day to get to school and back and then travel two hours once at the weekend to access mountain biking etc.

So the support we offer needs to fit in with how their lives work.  We have found it essential that we have these two separate projects to adequately meet the needs of the young people.

Thank you to our funders for making it possible. 

Urban H2H is funded by The Gannochy Trust, Stirling Council and The Parish Development Fund within the Church of Scotland. 

Rural H2H is being part financed by the Scottish Government and the European Community, Forth Valley and Lomond L.E.A.D.E.R 2007-2013 programme, also Stirling Council and The Parish Development Fund.

The other day I met with a volunteer for Heart to Heart and I asked her;

What is it like to be a lifeguide?

Rewarding! If someone had told me when I was  experiencing my parents
separation and divorce that one day, twelve years later, I would be able to
truly help others get through the same thing it may have made it easier –
given me a purpose in the pain perhaps?

I was fortunate to have strong support through my youth worker which on
reflection is what really helped me get through the tough times, deal with
the raw and varying emotions of what was happening and in a sense come out
the other side a well rounded individual.

That’s what being a lifeguide is all about. Through the H2H programme I
help young people who are experiencing the same thing as I did by
listening, understanding, empathizing on levels impossible by people who
have not experienced the same thing and given them the tools to equip them
to make good decisions throughout the rest of their lives.

During my sessions I have felt complete compassion for the young people,
touched by the intelligence and insight they have, inspired by their
responses and overwhelmed by their appreciation for me as someone older
who gives them hope that they can and will get through the current trauma.

As a lifeguide and strong supporter of Heart to Heart, I am passionate
that if we want to begin to reverse the effects of growing separation and
divorce in this country we must start with the young people who have been
affected to equip them to make good decisions for the future and not allow
what has happened to them to repeat in the next generation. Only by
working at this grassroots level will it be possible to reverse the
growing trend.

In the village where I live we have some lovely, talented, thoughtful and
gifted young people and it is my hope that this programme can help them
flourish into all that they were born to be.

Change in family circumstances doesn’t just affect us as adults but our children too. H2H helps young people whose parents have separated or divorced to talk to a volunteer called a Lifeguide who have been through a similar experience. 

I talked to one of the H2H  Lifeguides today over a cup of coffee and she told me a little bit about herself and how she became a Lifeguide and what it means to be one. I will write some of her story in a later post once I have put it all together.

In the meantime have a look at the H2H page of the Heart to Heart website.

A group of young people who had experienced the

the breakdown of their parents’ relationship discussed and

designed the logo for H2H.

H2H  supports young people affected by parental divorce or separation and is a new and innovative arm of Heart to Heart.

It’s by young people, for young people.

H2H offers young people (11-18yrs) who have been affected by parental divorce or separation support in two ways; individual and group support.

Individual support is carried out by Lifeguides (Young Adults, 18 to 25 years, who have also experienced parental divorce or separation). The Lifeguides will take the young people through a 6 week toolkit, on a one to one confidential basis, which will give both the Lifeguides and the young people new skills to increase their confidence and effective citizenship.

Group support is where young people help other young people.

Over the past few days, I have been spending some of my time talking to volunteers without whom it would not be possible to provide the range of support Heart to Heart offers to people affected by divorce and separation.

One of the volunteers I spoke to is co founder of this charity and now a volunteer running the 6 week support courses for adults. Lynne told me that one day she and a friend were talking about the problems Lynne was going through with her children following her marriage breakup. Her friend Sheena had experienced as a teenager, the trauma of her Mum and Dad’s marriage breakdown. She was able to tell Lynne about how she felt at the time and give help and reassurance to Lynne. From there they realized that they had stumbled upon something special and so began to develop the Heart to Heart services that are on offer today.

Today I will be spending a big part of the day reading through Heart to Heart resource material to familiarise myself with how they support people.

One of the resources I will be reading is the book that Janet mentioned in her story in a previous post;

“I was loaned the book ‘Breaking up without Cracking Up’.  I started reading it and, three hours later, closed it.  I couldn’t put it down, it seemed as though this was my story – every emotion, every feeling, but it was also giving me some answers to major questions and, more importantly, some sort of hope for the future.”

This book can be bought from Amazon at the following link

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Breaking-Without-Cracking-practical-separation/dp/000274001X

In 2004 my marriage of over 20 years fell apart and I felt broken and alone.  At first I was in shock, unable to cope, in hospital, in despair, in denial, ‘in’ just about everything and very emotional.  I found myself on my own and very depressed.

Three months later, following the initial hurt, pain and anger, I was sitting in my Doctor’s waiting room and I picked up a leaflet for ‘Heart to Heart’. Here was a support group for people ‘like me’.

I rang Heart to Heart and was invited to come on their next course.  In the meantime I was loaned the book ‘Breaking up without Cracking Up’.  I started reading it and, three hours later, closed it.  I couldn’t put it down, it seemed as though this was my story – every emotion, every feeling, but it was also giving me some answers to major questions and, more importantly, some sort of hope for the future.

It took some courage to go to the first ‘Heart to Heart’ meeting – maybe because I was still so hurt and so emotionally raw.  Everything was so close to me and I could hardly speak for tears, but at least I no longer felt so alone, because we call think at the time that ‘it’ is only happening to use, whereas in reality it is very saddening to know just how many families the pain of separation affects.  Statistics are frightening.  Men, women and children get hurt.

Heart to Heart helped me in many ways.  Firstly it was a night out at a place where I didn’t have to hide my emotions.  Secondly, it was with people who really understood my situation, people with similar experiences and at various stages of ‘recovery’. People who showed me the time it can take to heal, who didn’t judge me.

Seven years on I have now ‘recovered’ and life is good again.  I remarried last year and have a loving husband, a wonderful family, an amazing relationship with God and great friends.  So many people have supported me throughout the good times and the bad.

Heart to Heart is very close to my Heart and I am now on the charity’s Board and am actively involved in the work of the organisation.  Our volunteers deserve 10 out of 10 for the support they offer to anyone affected by divorce or separation.  It helps to know that there are people out there who are or who have been in a similar situation to you.

Believe me, time does heal and the heartache and despair do fade – I’m not saying it has been easy, often it has been a struggle, but the time does come when you will feel ‘whole’ again.

Yes, divorce or separation is devastating and painful, but sometimes it is inevitable.  Once you take your life back and find that inner strength and resolve that is in all of us, you will survive and, in time, the healing process will be complete.

Heart to Heart offers confidential support to men and women who have been affected by divorce or separation. Being the only group of this kind in Scotland, they offer a unique service which is accessible to all who have direct experience of divorce or separation.

Many people are affected by divorce or separation – and the heartache, loneliness, bitterness and hopelessness it can cause.

Heart to Heart Objectives are;

• To address the possible negative effects of relationship breakdown by dealing with the isolation, loneliness, guilt and pain in a safe environment.
• To restore self-confidence, self-esteem and hope by encouraging and equipping people to face the future.
• To acquire relevant life skills, such as communication, handling and resolving conflict, setting and maintaining boundaries, self confidence, self esteem, self awareness and forgiveness to help make positive changes in their lives.

I had the first day of my placement at Heart to Heart in the office in Callander. I was met at the door with a big hug from Ruth who was delighted to welcome me.

After a chat and a coffee we had a time of prayer thanking God for this opportunity to work together on the Parents Project which I will tell you more about in future blogs.

Together we composed a work plan for the placement.  It’s going to be a very busy but exciting 4 months. Just now I have lots of policies and induction material to read and for next week I have planned interviews with some of the people who already volunteer for this charity. I am looking forward to hearing their stories some of which I will share here.

Ruth and myself in the H to H office

Vodafone World of Difference. Thank you for a fantastic induction day at Newbury Racecourse where the 500 winners met to be encouraged and inspired by Simon Weston, Lucy Potts and Gok Wan who are fantastic ambassadors for the World of Difference Programme. 500 winners were picked from over 5000 applicants and I am one of them. It is such a privilege to be chosen and to be able to work for 4 months part time for my charity Heart to Heart.

The day was all about being encouraged and inspired to make a difference. Each of us is unique and has so much to give. All the winners that I talked to had their own story to tell and I loved hearing about what others were doing.

We were all given a new phone, lots of yummy food including huge choc chip cookies and I arrived back home exhausted but with a big smile.

I have a new placement with Vodafone World of Difference and I will be working for Heart to Heart

It has been such an amazing privilege to be chosen by Vodafone and to have worked with Alpha Scotland on Prison Alpha and the Caring for Ex-Offender’s programs.

Throughout my placement, I have been talking to people all over Scotland that are involved in this program. I have heard fantastic stories of people’s lives being turned around in prison and ex – offender’s re- building their lives and living as part of the community again. It has been great to begin networking with other individuals and organisations that are involved in either prison ministry or  social transformation.

I enjoyed my trip to London to visit the folks in the Social Transformation Office at Holy Trinity Brompton, the home of the Alpha Course.

Alpha Scotland held their annual Vision Day that was attended by more than 750 delegates from all over Scotland representing hundreds of churches from many different denominations. It was fantastic to be part of that day and enjoy the inspiring worship, stories, interviews and updates from across the nation.

The above photo has been included in the Alpha News of which 20,000 copies are now being distributed in Scotland and gives news of Alpha courses and resources and real life stories of peoples lives being turned around for the better.

I have now submitted my report and recommendations to the Alpha Scotland team who will consider the way forward for this important ministry.

I have agreed to keep in touch and will be very happy to continue for a while on a voluntary basis as required.

I would like to give a huge THANK YOU to the Alpha Scotland team for their encouragment in this placement and for welcoming me onto their team for a wee while.

COPE stands for Coalition of Prison Evangelists and it was really good to meet Anne McLean last week who will be named as their first Scottish President at a conference in June.

Networking with other prison organisations in Scotland is very important to her and as we spoke about Prison Alpha and CFEO she told me that Overcomers Recovery Course is run alternatively with the Alpha Courses in some  prisons. I found this very encouraging as I heard more of how the 2 courses fitted so well together.

Details of the COPE conference can be found on the Christian Prison Ministries website

God’s Faithfulness in Changing Times 22nd June -25^th June At The Waterfront Lodges Loch Lomond

Christian Prison Ministries

I was invited to come back to Bethany Christian Trust to see and experience more of what happens. There is so much to Bethany that there no way will I do it justice on this blog. Please try out the website and see for yourself.

click on the logo to go to their website

I had an amazing morning touring the different services Bethany provide for homeless people. A huge thank you to all those who took time to chat with me.

Iain Gordon, the Chief Executive took me round and here are some of the places I visited.

Bethany Visiting Support – Edinburgh is part of the Gateway consortium. Gateway Visiting Support is a partnership between Bethany Christian Trust, Rock Trust, Fresh Start, Move On, and The Salvation Army. They seek to provide support for up to 6 months to those in housing crisis with a view to moving people into settled accommodation, and preventing people who are in tenancies from becoming homeless..

Support workers usually work with their clients for 4-8 hours a week, coordinating, supporting and moving them on.

One man who was referred to this department was living in one room of a relative’s house. He was an ex-offender and had been institutionalised by the prison system and could not cope on the outside. He lived a very regimented life – only coming out of the house every 2 weeks to go to the same shops.

Support workers went the extra mile and he now lives in his own flat.

Fresh Start supported him to paint and decorate.

Homemaker helped to access furniture and carpets.

He has now enrolled in a cookery course and is hoping to get involved in the community café project.

Bethany’s Community Education service helps people to learn and to become more confident. They run a number of drop-ins and groups, all of which offer a safe and welcoming atmosphere where participants can get to know others and can learn at their own pace.

Activities include;

• Housing, Employment and Volunteering drop-in (includes help to make a CV)
• Computer Drop-In
• Get Creative art group
• The Bugle Editorial Group
• Women’s drop-in (includes lunch, a crèche, and a different activity each week)
• Men’s drop-in (includes lunch, a weekly quiz, and opportunities to get involved in other clubs and activities including fishing and cycling)

Bethany Christian Centre is a supportive working community for men aged 17-70. They work with those who have found themselves in need of support to resettle back into a stable, drug and alcohol free environment. Men are given support with addiction issues, budgeting, legal matters, health issues, family relationships, housing applications, benefit claims, contact with counseling services and other agencies, etc. Bethany Addiction Team offer group work and one to one counseling to residents, who benefit greatly from these services.

The men learn to work and serve each other as they participate in community meetings, cooking, cleaning, group activities and house holidays. With the help of the Training Section men have education and voluntary work placements within Bethany or further afield.

Bethany House

This is a 28 bed emergency hostel with direct access. The emphasis is on rehabilitation and engaging with Bethany’s program.Issues of homelessness are looked into. For one man that seemed to be a relationship breakdown but the root cause was his drinking and gambling.

They have a good success rate as most of the service users are willing to look at these issues and to take control of their lives. Some unfortunately are not.

Homemaker exists to help families and individuals on low incomes access furniture, floor coverings, electrical appliances, and other household essentials to “turn their houses into homes.” Where social fund help is not available Homemaker can fundraise on the clients’ behalf. They provide an extensive range of both new and second hand goods. All of the electrical appliances are guaranteed and an installation service is provided.

Homemaker works on a referral basis only. Referrals to the project can be made by recognised caring, community, public health or social work service organisations.

The project relies on good quality donations of furniture, electrical appliances and other household items. Please call the free uplift service (0131 467 3993) to arrange for any donations to be collected.

Bethany regularly explores new social enterprise schemes in order to diversify its funding streams. Requipit is social enterprise which is a trading subsidiary of Bethany Christian Trust.

REQUIPIT is a social enterprise with three main aims

• Refurbishment and resale of domestic appliances, computer equipment and other small electrical products primarily as a wholesaler to the charity sector, landlords and other wholesalers.
• The training of vulnerable people to become domestic appliance engineers, PAT testers and computer technicians.
• To divert waste electrical and electronic equipment from the waste stream through refurbishment and reuse.

By supplying good quality appliances to the charity sector, people on low incomes can access and buy these at an affordable price.  In addition, REQUIPIT has developed an apprentice training scheme to enable vulnerable people to become domestic appliance engineers or computer technicians.  REQUIPIT’s profits go directly to Bethany Christian Trust to help fund its work with homeless and vulnerable people throughout Scotland.

If I were in prison, I would like someone to come and give me hope. Hope for my future and hope for my sense of hopelessness. Even although I might not believe it at first, I would like someone to tell me that there is a God who still loves me, no matter what I’ve done and that there is a God that offers me forgiveness.

Every day, prisoners are encouraged in their faith by Prison Chaplains, Visitors, and many different kinds of organisations that do an  amazing work. What about when offenders  are released back into the community, what then?

For some, being linked to a Caring for Ex -Offender’s church will be the answer where they will be supported by a team of trained people in the church. But for others this might not be suitable and a new model of church for ex-offenders may be the answer.

Fresh Expressions and Emerging Church are about reaching out to others in ways they can relate to. It is about adapting in order to speak to the cultures round about. Our society is diverse and fragmented and if we are to share God’s love, we need to be a people who take this Love to the many and various expressions of contemporary culture.

What would this new model of church look like for ex-offenders? I spoke to David Currie who is the Development Worker for Emerging Church and New and Emerging Ministries. As we chatted we talked about some of the people I’d met who were already showing a Fresh Expression of church for ex-offenders and other vulnerable people, like Broken Chains in Ayr (see previous posts).

We also talked about the training available to those who have  new ideas.

If you would like more information about Mission Shaped Ministry Courses you can check out the Church of Scotland website  Courses

Last Saturday I attended a Conference and Recourse Exhibition held by the Church of Scotland at Kemnay Church Centre near Inverurie on behalf of Alpha Scotland

I had the opportunity to meet some wonderful people  from the Presbytery of Gordon, network with other organisations and display and promote Alpha recourses and courses.

There were workshops on mission and outreach approaches to crèche, school children, teenagers and adult groups with speakers suggesting different approaches to outreach. As our minds were fed so were our bodies and we tucked into the wonderful scones and pancakes served along with our coffee.

Other Exhibitions included;

Urban Saints

Engage

Street Pastors

Care for the Family

Ycourse

It has been such an amazing privilege to be chosen by Vodafone World of Difference and to be working with Alpha Scotland. I have been telling lots of people how I came to be working for Alpha on their Prison and Caring for Ex-Offenders programs and they have been delighted to hear that Vodafone are doing such a good job by providing funding for ordinary people like me to work for 2 months for their chosen charity.

For most of my placement, I have been talking to people on the phone or visiting them and I have been telling them if they know of anyone who would like to work for a charity for 2 months to get in touch with World of Difference and make a difference.

I am coming to the end of my placement but there is still lots to do before next week. I have more people to meet tomorrow and a report to write on the research, the issues needing addressed and the future developments of Prison Alpha and the CFEO program.

I have enjoyed this work immensely. I have been stretched, challenged encouraged and welcomed whole-heartedly by the Alpha Scotland Team.

It has been a pleasure to work with Alpha Scotland and thanks to Vodafone Foundation and World of Difference who made it possible.

Last Friday, I was invited to visit a prison by the Prison Chaplain. I have to say the thought of going in to a high security prison was daunting at the least. Oh, I had been in prison before but that was ages ago to visit a friend and I could hardly remember the experience.

I found myself feeling vulnerable as I went through security and waited for my appointment time. In some respects it felt like going on holiday – they took my passport and scanned me and my bag and took my phone off me and aske me to wait. But this was no holiday and I wondered what it would feel like to be going into prison, not for a visit but sentenced to several years.

What would it feel like knowing that it would be years before I could go back out side again, do the things I loved doing, see my friends and family? By the time I got back out the world could be a very different place – friends moved on, family much older, some may have even died. I may never see them again.

What would it feel like to have feelings of guilt and shame – to feel I have let everyone down – especially myself? Fear for the future, of what prison might do to me. Life would never be the same again.

What would you think about if it was you?

If it was you, what did you think about?

Broken Chains is an outreach into the community to those who are vulnerable – the homeless, people with drug and alcohol issues, ex-offenders and their families and people with mental health problems. It is organised by Christians from different churches around Ayr and held every Sunday at 3.30pm in Holy Trinity Church Hall. As we arrived, people were gathering and having a chat with one another over a cup of tea or coffee.

Then the praise band began to play and we had a time of exuberant worship followed by hearing about Corrie ten Boom and her family who hid Jewish people in a cupboard in their home in Holland from the Nazis during the Second World War. She and her sister Betsie were imprisoned in Ravensbruck concentration camp and while they were there they came to realise that There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still

Betsie sadly died in Ravensbruck, but Corrie survived and traveled the world telling people their story. Her book is called

The Hiding Place

Then Susan, who helps out at Broken Chains asked the 60 people that had gathered on Sunday if they believed in life after death. Most people raised their hands. Then she said that she also believed that there was life BEFORE death and that with Jesus life could be lived in abundance. She encouraged people to come along to the drop in on Tuesday afternoon and to think about rehab if they had not already applied for it.

This was followed by a lovely meal and more time chatting and getting to know one another. It was my first time visiting Broken Chains Ayr and I have to say I had the best time; people were so friendly and welcoming.

Alex and Barbara who help out most Sundays told me “Broken Chains has been running for more than 2 years now and we have seen many people from all different circumstances come along and feel loved and accepted. We have also seen people whose lives have been changed around as they seek to become drug and alcohol free. There is also a prayer room that many take advantage of.  Different churches provide the music and the meals each week and we always have plenty people who want to help out”

“We hold a ‘drop in’ afternoon on a Tuesday from 2-4 when people again come in for a chat and a cup of tea. Sometimes we do crafts and baking together and we provide second hand clothing and furniture for their home if they need it. It is also an opportunity to apply for drug/alcohol rehabilitation programs such as Teen Challenge.  Susan, who is our street worker, offers to help those who might want to complete their application form.”

I am so thankful to Alex and Barbara for inviting me to visit Broken Chains Ayr and to see for myself the fantastic work that is being done. It was such an uplifting experience.

On Wednesday of this week I traveled to Edinburgh to meet with Iain Gordon the Chief Executive of Bethany Christian Trust.

Bethany Christian Trust stops people being homeless and stops people becoming homeless.

Every year they help 4,000 people to find, equip and maintain a home, overcome addictions and tackle other social and education barriers which prevent them from living a full and healthy life.

What makes Bethany different is that they don’t just deal with the symptoms of homelessness; they work with people to help them address the root causes of their problems so they can move on into independent living.

Bethany gives homeless and vulnerable people a hope and a future.

They work across Scotland in Aberdeen, Dumfries and Galloway, Edinburgh, Fife, Inverness and West Lothian.

Holy Trinity Brompton is the home of the Alpha Course and I was invited to go and visit the staff in the Social Transformation Office.

On Monday

Nici who is the team leader explained that Caring for Ex – Offenders came about as it was realised that men and women who came to faith in prison as a result of an Alpha Course or the care of prison chaplains wished to be supported on their release.

Many churches when confronted with the reality of dealing with an ex-offender felt they were not equipped for the task.  As well as the need to link men and women with supportive churches on their release, it was also recognised that there was a need to equip and educate churches about what it means to care for an ex- offender both practically and spiritually. The main aim is to see individuals becoming integrated into a community of faith and support as they seek to rebuild their lives.

Nick and Andy took me through the linking process and answered the numerous questions I had stumbled upon during my conversations meeting with churches, prison chaplains and other organisations involved in Caring for Ex – Offenders.

Bruce who is working in Debt Advice talked about the development of courses and advice that could be used by CFEO churches

Jo who is a prison chaplain to Pentonville and Holloway prisons talked me through the practicalities of running Prison Alpha and the initial contact the prisoner has with the linking process.

It was a great day when I learned a lot and was inspired by the passion, knowledge and experience that these guys were willing to share with me. I have so much to take back with me.

On Tuesday

Thr early morning prayer meeting at 7am in the church was a great way to start my day praying and thanking God for all I have learned and experienced here.

I attended an inspirational staff meeting before leaving to travel back to Scotland by train. It had been an amazing time meeting and talking to some fantastic people.

On Saturday 6th February Alpha Scotland held their annual Vision Day that was attended by more than 750 delegates from all over Scotland representing hundreds of churches from many different denominations.

Photos by Rebecca Lee

It was a fantastic day of inspiring worship, stories, interviews and updates from across the nation.

The main speakers for the day were;

• Rev. Nicky Gumbel and his wife Pippa – Nicky is the pioneer of the Alpha Course and senior minister of Holy Trinity Brompton, London
• Rev Nicky and Sila Lee – they are Alpha pioneers of the Marriage course and best selling authors of the Parenting Book.
• Pete Greig – is the Alpha director of Prayer
• Rev Karl Martin – is senior leader of  Morningside Baptist Church
• Rev Kenny Borthwick- is Minister of Wester Hailes, Edinburgh and Chairman of  CLAN Gathering

This was a fantastic day with the opportunity to be refreshed, equipped and envisioned.

The day was held in P’s and G’s,  Edinburgh, which was bursting at the seems with the number of delegates . A huge thank you to all who  served us refreshments and made us really welcome in their church. St. Pauls and St Georges Church, Edinburgh

Listen to this song – Brand New Start by Paul Weller. The words are very appropriate

I’m gonna clear out my head
I’m gonna get myself straight
I know it’s never too late
To make a brand new start

I’m gonna kick down the door
I’m gonna get myself in
I’m gonna fix up the yard
And not fall back again

I’m gonna clear up my earth
And build a heaven off the ground
Not something distant on a cloud
But something real to me
But something real to me

All that I can I can be
All that I am I can’t see
All that is mine is in my hands
So to myself I call

There’s somewhere else I should be
There’s someone else I can’t see
There’s something more I can find
There’s only love to me

I’m gonna clean up my earth
And build a heaven off the ground
Not something dsitant on a cloud
But something real to me
But something real to me

I’m gonna clean up my head
I’m gonna get myself straight
I feel it’s never too late
To make a brand new start
To make a brand new start
To make a brand new start

Most of the work for this project can be done from home but one day a week, I make the 100 mile round trip to the Alpha Scotland Office in Glasgow. Meet Paul, Peter, Kieran, Helen and myself These days are usually made up of photo shoots, going out for lunch to posh restaurants and having a hair cut (well Kieran anyway) Really…. it is a time to feedback and reflect on last weeks work and to plan my project for the coming week. Kieran is my Project Manager and everyone in the office has been so supportive and I have felt welcomed and included into the team. One of the best ideas Kieran had was to take a photo of me outside the Vodafone shop in Sauchiehall Street. I am holding a poster that is displayed in prisons. This gives prisoners information about the Caring for Ex- Offenders program and how to access it. The photo will go into the Alpha News that distributes 200,000 copies U.K. wide and 20,000 in Scotland and gives news of Alpha courses and resources and real life stories of peoples lives being changed around for the better.

Of course one of the worst ideas Kieran had is….well….

It has been such an amazing privilege to be chosen by Vodafone and to be working with Alpha Scotland on the Caring for Ex-Offender’s program. This week I have been talking to people all over Scotland that are involved in this program.

I have been hearing fantastic stories of people’s lives being turned around in prison and ex – offender’s re- building their lives and living as part of the community again.

I have also felt the frustration of those who would love to do more but often they feel their work is but a drop in a very large ocean.

A CFEO linked church supports men and women on their release from prison which can be a very vulnerable time when the temptation to go back to old ways is high.

I think every ex- offender (of any faith or no faith) should have the opportunity to be linked to a CFEO trained Church on their release from prison if they so wish.

There is a whole wealth of work being done by lots of organisations including Alpha and the CFEO program but there is so much more to do. I feel we are just scratching the surface

Over the past few days I have been collecting information about the fantastic support that the Caring For Ex – Offenders (CFEO) program gives to men and women on their release from prison.

An Ex offender can be linked to a church near where they will be living on their release and they are offered support in the following areas dependant on their needs;

• Someone to meet them at the prison gate
• Health advice
• Finance, benefits and debt advice
• Accommodation
• Education training and Employment
• Children and families
• Attitudes thinking and behaviour
• Community Involvement

CFEO aims to support individuals with the aim of reintegrating them back into society and a community of faith as they seek to rebuild their lives.

It’s amazing to be involved in such an awesome project. I hope to be visiting prisons and churches in Scotland that are CFEO linked to see for myself the brilliant work being done.

In the meantime if you are working in the area of prison Alpha or CFEO in Scotland, I would love to hear from you.

You can contact me at cathy.scott@alpha.org

Today, I took the train (it arrived on time) to Glasgow to the Alpha Scotland Office to meet with the small team of staff and volunteers that support the work of Alpha in Scotland.

Alpha is running in 162 countries of the world and I will be involved in the Caring for Ex – Offenders program (CFEO)

caringforexoffenders.org

When I heard that I had won a place on the Vodafone World of Difference, I was so delighted and excited about the idea of being able to work for my chosen charity which is Alpha International.

I was all set to travel to London for an induction day with Vodafone on Monday and a day spending time at the offices in London of Alpha International on Tuesday. I was looking forward to meeting with the other winners and hearing a bit about their stories and also my day at Alpha meeting the people that work there and do a great job.

Unfortunately the sleeper train I was due to travel on did not turn up. I was waiting at an unmanned station in the middle of the night, I had no information on how late the train was or if it would indeed come at all. I waited in the freezing cold for 3 hours and at 2.30 am, I gave up and had to go back home – I was so cold.

I cannot explain how disappointed I felt – I was devastated. However, Vodafone were great and assured me that my placement would still go ahead as planned and they would post my induction pack and phone to me.

I am still really excited about my placement and can’t wait to get started.

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