A ground-breaking not-for profit organisation in Walsall that is run by volunteers and receives no Government funding has been nominated for a top award in the region`s first Community Champion Awards. Organised by the West Midlands Combined Authority, the awards are for residents to nominate someone who has made a significant contribution to their local area.
The aim of the Awards are to shine a light on how the wide-ranging community work in the West Midlands is bringing people from different backgrounds together. Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said" There are so many outstanding people in the West Midlands who work tirelessly every day to help others without expecting any reward for themselves. The Community Champion Awards are a brilliant opportunity to celebrate the amazing achievements of these unsung heroes".
The Manor Women`s Project, based at 271 Pleck Road in Walsall, has been nominated for it`s mentoring services and ground-breaking work in helping women to exit the sex industry and drug addiction and rebuild their lives through education and their careers. The Project, run by Alison Cattell and Robert "Greg" Gregory (pictured) has won many awards and praise over the years by police officers, probation officers, crown court judges and politicians. The local duo originally ran a homeless hostel in the same terraced house on Pleck Road in `1984 and noticed that 2 out of 3 people they houses were on hard drugs. Armed with clipboards, the couple visited crack houses, magistrates courts and drug hostels and spoke to as many addicts as they could.
"Time and time again I heard the same answers" explained father of three "Greg". "They said they needed people 24/7, not just once a week and they said they wanted to be in charge of their own recovery". The Manor Women`s Project was born in 2003 and it`s success is unparalleled. The "staying clean" rate for females who stay at the Project the recommended 3 years is 75% - one of the best in the UK. Residents also make their own rules by brining forward people-based solutions to deep social issues. Residents make their own rules and spend the first 3 months under curfew but are allowed to come and go within reason. They are tested for drugs every 3 days and if drugs are found in their system they are back under curfew.
According to the women who have found sanctuary and a haven at the Project, it is the love and care from Alison and "Greg", who work 10 hours a day, seven days a week and are on call all night, which makes the Project such a special place. Aside from the care, education is also a key to the Project`s success. All of the women leave with a fistful of qualifications enabling them to take up high-paid work.
"We encourage all our clients to attend local colleges" said Alison "as a means of increasing their opportunities to improve themselves educationally and socially and to obtain accredited qualifications kin helping them find employment. To date, against all the odds, we have clients who have successfully progressed through programme and who are in full time employment".
