Each fortnight, on Mondays, Tammy makes her way into Shirley for three hours of volunteer work at the Family Support Centre (FSC). She has been part of the volunteer staff there since the centre launched in 1999. In its early years the FSC’s focus was on crisis pregnancy and post-abortion counselling. As time has gone by, the services offered have expanded to include relationship counselling, a listening service, DivorceCare (started by Tammy and another colleague in the mid ’90s then passed over to the FSC in 2000), stress/anxiety support, and other crisis need counselling. All free of charge by volunteers who have all received training appropriate to the support they provide. The service the FSC provides is the result of a partnership of local churches in Shirley, but the services available are provided to anyone in need no matter the ethnicity, cultural background, or religious or non-religious persuasion.
Over the last two weeks the FSC has
been moving into new premises. Shirley Baptist Church has has a major new build to coincide with the redevelopment of the high street in Shirley. Very graciously, SBC has made space available for the ongoing availability of this service to the community.
Today I am grateful for the staff, trustees, and local churches who generously and voluntarily provide these services for the local community. You can find out more by clicking Family Support Centre, Shirley.
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