 We are a community of- Compassion, Courage, Chaos & Cornbeef Hash! Jane Clark joined our team several months ago. A brief, personal reflection on life at St. Anne's House, the home of T.H.O.M.A.S. Eight months ago I started work for, or should I say was welcomed into, a unique and colourful community working at the heart of the T.H.O.M.A.S.organisation. Trying to describe the community has been no mean feat as T.H.O.M.A.S. means many things to many people . However, for me, the words "compassion,courage , chaos and cornbeef hash" sum things up quite nicely. Compassion is in abundance at St.Anne's House – it's the common factor that keeps the community together. Day to day life doesn't always run smoothly, not everybody is in agreement all of the time. Sparks fly and opinions are voiced,but at the end of the day the unconditional urge to help, to ease the suffering of others and the strong belief in the ethos of T.H.O.M.A.S. keeps all in perspective and keeps the community strong. Courage manifests itself in so many different ways at St.Anne's House. Clients,supported by the Reconcile Project within the community, show the true strength and courage needed to overcome their addictions and start to look to the future with hope. Courage is displayed on a daily basis within the drop-in,that is to say courage of people who readily reach out to those who need help, those who society has largely turned it's back on. Finally there is courage in the foresight of T.H.O.M.A.S. – from an early stage it became apparent that thinking small wasn't on the agenda. In November T.H.O.M.A.S.held the 'Edges Personalities of the Year' awards presented by Mrs.Pauline Clare, Chief Constable of Lancashire. This was closely followed by the Annual Conference at Lancaster University attended by over eighty delegates from various statutory organisations. So far, I've seen three editions of 'Edges' produced,each with a circulation of 15,000 copies.The Reconcile Project has gone from strength to strength and will soon be able to offer accommodation and a structured program of rehabilitation to an extra four clients. In addition, T.H.O.M.A.S.is about to embark on a new initiative, a Mentoring Scheme for ex young offenders working in partnership with the Police, Probation Service and Blackburn College….Phew! What will the next eight months bring? Chaos, that is to say organised chaos. Anyone who works,or has worked,at St Anne's House will relate to this. The community is a constant hive of activity where flexibility and team work are the order of the day. For example, on a visit to St. Anne's House, depending on the day, I might be seen with a pen in my hand ( purple and fluffy!); alternatively it might be a large bag of frozen sausages and on occasions e ven a rather blunt bread knife (for lunch preparation of course!). However, no matter how chaotic things appear, there is always method in the madness – the work always gets completed and the organisation continues to thrive. Cornbeef hash – a Friday favourite - one of my first recollections of St Anne's House was the mountains of potatoes being peeled for the cornbeef hash. As with any house, at it's heart is the kitchen – and in this particular kitchen there is usually found a large pan merrily bubbling away on the stove. The contents are usually tasty, admittedly sometimes unrecognisable but always edible and always ready by 1pm to feed the 50 or so people that rely on that meal, for whatever reason, every single day. With the wealth of experience in the kitchen I've often thought a cookbook could be compiled – "10 Easy Ways To Feed A Family of 50 On A Budget" – maybe I'll suggest it at the next House Meeting…… As I draw this brief reflection to a close I'd just like to end by adding that over the past eight months I've seen many tears – tears of sorrow, tears of joy and tears of laughter. I've seen despair turn to hope and I have seen lives being rebuilt. Working for T.H.O.M.A.S.,I'm now part of a community of hope that looks forward to a brighter future as we embark on this,the first year of a brand new millennium. |
