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About
Venus' mission is:
To empower, promote and support women, young women and their children in developing their potential, recognising their choices, achieving their goals and challenging injustice.
Venus Safeguarding Statement
Venus is committed to practice that protects children, young people and vulnerable adults from abuse. Workers and volunteers within Venus accept and recognise our responsibilities to promote the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and develop awareness of the issues that cause them harm.
Meet the team:
Lorraine Webb
Lorraine is the Chief Executive of Venus. This means that Lorraine oversees all of the work undertaken by the Organisation and represents Venus and the wider charity sector on local partnerships & committees. Lorraine also develops new projects for the Organisation and has overall responsibility for safeguarding and similar functions.
Lorraine enjoys dancing to Northern Soul, her favourite shop is Satterthwaites, she always carries 3 massive bags wherever she goes even though she doesn’t know what’s in them and she likes to watch golf!
Georgina Harvey
George is our Emotional Support Manager, juggling her work overseeing the mental health & emotional wellbeing focused support programmes at Venus whilst deep in the world of academia pursuing a Masters Degree in Systemic Family Practice. We're dead proud of her but miss her shouting at us, mothering us and keeping us on the straight and narrow at the gym!
George is the Venus DJ and gets cross if anyone interferes with her choice of tunes. She tends to be competitive in Gym classes (she's not called Sergeant Harv for nothing!) and is our resident rebel with a cause!
Jo Kenyon
As our Independence Support Manager, Jo looks after Halton Parent to Parent Volunteer Support and Sefton Care Leavers Centre projects. Jo implements and co-ordinates our policy framework and makes sure our quality assurance systems are tip top. Jo has responsibility for implementing our IT systems and overseeing our social media and website content.
Jo was once a champion ballroom dancer. Nowadays, she likes driving everyone around in her mini, razzing around on her motorbike, visiting art galleries and reading up on policies.
Lyn Robinson
Lyn is the Finance Officer for Venus. Lyn looks after the funding that the Organisation receives to undertake our work across all of our different projects. Our Robbo is a total mathlete and can usually be found with her head in a spreadsheet or seven when she's not sorting out the fareshare or anything else that needs organising!
Lyn is an unnaturally happy person who enjoys a good laugh. You can hear her lovely infectious belly laugh echoing around our Centre when you call in! She is an expert knitter and is always boiling hot!
Carlie Machell
Carlie is the Team Leader for our homelessness prevention and international families services.
Carlie is our expert on all things housing related, so is often in demand to answer everyone’s queries on this challenging and complicated subject.
Our Carlie is Queen of serenity and can be relied upon to spread calm even when the most crazy and chaotic situations are happening.
Carlie is an old time hippy, she likes crystals, calm and cake, man! Carlie is easily identifiable by her often astonishing and always unique dress sense, she cheers us up with her colourful leggings and top combos! Away from Venus, you may find Carlie running in the rain and being at one with the universe!
Jean Hodgkinson
Jeannie has recently returned to her Venus homies following a year away from us studying to deliver the “Incredible Years” evidence-based parenting training under the CYP IAPT programme.
As well as delivering Incredible Years through groups and home coaching, t’s Jean’s role at Venus to co-ordinate, train and support our wonderful, much-valued volunteers as they undertake lots of different roles with us across the organisation.
Our Jean loves to deliver training, is very sociable, likes eating chocolate and pasties, walking her French bulldog and has been known to shout “RRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!” at the top of her voice!
Clare Kavanagh
Clare is the Venus Parent to Parent Volunteer Programme Co-ordinator at our project based in Halton. This project recruits and trains volunteers across Runcorn and Widnes to support parents to make positive changes, take control of their lives and address any barriers. Clare also looks after our referrals as they come into the organisation.
Our Clare is boss at getting things done and doesn't know the meaning of the word procrastinate, unlike some I could mention... Clare is very organised and keeps our teeny tiny Halton office ship shape and Bristol fashion!
Clare is our designated mini-bus driver and is happy to take gangs of kids anywhere! She loves to look good, have fun and is practically perfect in every way.
Carol Flanagan
Lovely Carol is a Support Worker on our Supported Housing project.
It's Carol's role to provide key worker support to individuals who are living in our accommodation.
Carol is the laidback lady of our happy team, ALWAYS has lovely nail varnish on and loves to play darts with her pub team. Her favourite butties are cheese and onion and her dream job would be to work in a mortuary, hands in the bucket who thinks this might be because she wants a bit of peace and quiet for a change as opposed to the organised chaos in our office?!
Jo Hughes
Jo is our much in-demand Money Management Worker, supporting individuals across all of our projects to sort out their seemingly scary financial issues, by working out realistic budgets and even helping them save money for a rainy day. Jo is a total whizz at sorting this out, helping those she supports to reduce the fear associated with the prospect of debt problems.
Jo has been bestowed with various lovely nicknames by people who come to the centre for her support, for instance, "Brilliant" or "Jo Bubbles" - all of which reflect her vivacious joie de vivre and energy!
Jo likes going on lots of holidays, listening to Chesney Hawkes and saving the world from debt!
Louise Hicks
Lou works with Clare, Koreen and our wonderful volunteers in Halton on the Venus Parent 2 Parent Volunteer Support Programme.
Whilst Lou looks a li’l bit pensive on her pic here, I'm happy to tell you she's a hoot and very happy! Lou started out as a volunteer on this programme and tells us,
"There is never a quiet moment in my life having to keep my 3 children and husband in line!
I have a passion for baking, decorating and most of all cleaning!! I love to see results and making people happy.
Little secret for you, I hate food waste so if there's food in my sight I just have to eat it!" Nice rationalisation there Lou!
Nikki Thomas
Say a big mazzy hiya to our Nikki, who supports families who have been referred for support on our Progression Project, working alongside Kay. Nikki has lots of experience working with families and always gets involved to help out!
Nikki tells us,
“Things I like are yoga and going to concerts, (Nikki is a world class socialiser too, so I've heard!)…I love meeting all the new families I work with and going to lots of different places, I really enjoy the hustle & bustle of the centre (at times!)
Nikki is dedicated, calm and always happy to lend a hand when she can
Laura Gleaves
Whilst from end of April 2018 Laura is on Maternity Leave from us, I will still tell you about her! Lovely lively Laura is a family support worker at Venus, working alongside our social work student placements to provide support around family issues. Laura is based at the Venus Centre and has lots of experience in helping families. Laura has just come back to us from a year with the CYP IAPT programme learning all about how to deliver systemic family practice.
Laura is a foodie and will eat anything, all day if she could! She likes action packed activities like watersports, scuba diving etc and she has a pet snake called Lady!
Our Laura is a jolly person and will always help someone whenever she can. Laura loves working with women and families and looks forward to developing further in this role.
Leah Woods
Here’s our lovely Leah to say “hello world!” Leah works on the Step Together project at Venus.
When asked to tell us a bit about herself, Leah says,
“I've just graduated from uni where I studied children's nursing and social work and I'm happy to be involved in a brand new project at Venus.
When i'm not working I am a bit of a book-worm and read all kinds of different books. At the weekends you'll mostly find me watching football and spending time with my family and friends.” Nice one Leah!
Louise Coady
Here’s another lovely Louise! Our Lou is a counsellor with our Step Together Project.
Like many of us at Venus, Louise started her career with us as a volunteer and never quite got around to leaving!
Louise likes to do yoga and going to the beach. She loves spending time with family and friends. She also enjoys new challenges... She has once done a tandem skydive out of a plane!!!!! Yikes!
Stefanie Kenyon
Our Stef is often the first person you see when you visit us at Venus, she is the admin and reception worker greeting you with a cheery hello, and if you have a dog with you then all the better!
Stef keeps our paperwork ship shape, our phones answered and our room bookings in good order, she keeps our records up to date, and our diaries to make sure we are where we supposed to be!
Stef is the resident gamer geek of our gang, digs 30 seconds to mars, horror movies, K-pop and really really loves all the doggos in the universe, especially pugs!
Kayleigh Simmons
Awesome Kay is our Progression Key Worker, providing support for individuals and families to access training, learning, development and employment opportunities. Kay is boss at identifying opportunities for the people she supports and will stop at nothing in her pursuit of her goals.
Our Kay is enthusiastic and always fun to be with. Being new to the voluntary sector, she brings us a new perspective, helping us to think about different ways to support women to address the barriers to independence, employment and other challenges they may face.
Mary Size
The ever wonderful, unflappable Mary facilitates some of the Venus Drop Ins and offers support through our Supported Housing Project. When she isn’t keeping us calm and carrying on at Venus, you can find Mary making sure that our supported accommodation is spick and span and that everything is as it should be!
Also known as Mary Moo, she loves last minute holidays, can be relied upon to be calm and collected in the most stressful of situations and is always on hand with a lovely cup of tea and time to chat.
Koreen Ryan
It’s time to meet the very lovely Koreen, who works in Halton with Clare Lou and our merry band of volunteers on the Parent 2 Parent volunteer support programme and also runs the Intensive Cleaning Education Programme.
Koreen tells us a few snippets about herself… “I am a massive foodie and I love eating out and socialising with friends. I'm currently learning how to drive as I spend far too much time on buses. Beep Beep.”
Good luck with the driving Koreen!
Trish Morrison
Time to introduce the lovely Trish! Trish is a counsellor at Venus working on our emotional health and wellbeing services. Along with our wonderful volunteer counsellors, Trish can help you to find ways to deal with emotional issues.
Trish loves to travel the world, enjoys eating out, is music mad and a self-confessed obsessed yogi that loves meditation and the universe! How lucky are we to have another calming influence in our world?!
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