Kirsty from Bournemouth was supported by Home-Start after her daughter’s disability meant she became isolated and struggled to cope.
“Our volunteer from Home-Start Wessex accompanied me with my pre-school twins, helping me to take them swimming and on other outings as my husband was at work. Doing this on my own would have been impossible due to my daughter’s disability which meant that at the time she was unable to walk but her brother was an active toddler. Being stuck at home always made me feel guilty. I felt I was letting them down by limiting the experiences they could have. At times the stress drove me to self-harm.
With her help on a weekly basis I was able to enjoy an activity with my children rather than being isolated at home.
My son, who is not disabled, always looked forward to meeting our volunteer as she always took the time to engage with him.
I felt our volunteer genuinely cared for us and our outcome as a family. Our volunteer supported us at a very difficult time in our life, without judgement and always with kindness. We will never forget our Home-Start volunteer.”