Local unsung hero wins Leamington Rotary Community Spirit Award

Flourish are girl-focused specialists, supporting the self-esteem and wellbeing of girls aged 10-18 in Warwickshire through 1-2-1 and group mentoring so all girls feel heard, known, seen and supported.

Each year Leamington Spa Rotary Club celebrate the work of local unsung heroes, who help to fulfil the Rotary motto of 'service before self'. Helen certainly does that, she is incredibly loyal, dedicated, supportive and humble, she has been a crucial member of the Flourish team, offering admin support for 2.5 hours, twice a week, every week. She is very much an unsung hero, volunteering her time each with in the office fulfilling administrative tasks, never expecting any recognition or praise.

Every week Helen has been key in preparing all of the resources needed for our 121 mentoring programmes. We see around 30 girls a week individually and it is Helen who gets all of their resources, packs and equipment ready for our mentors and girls which in turn makes sure the girls have the best sessions they can have with the resources they need.

Every year we train a new cohort of local female mentors who we provide with all their resources and equipment and provide intensive 2 day training ahead of them starting. The collation and preparation of all the equipment and resources we need takes weeks and weeks, Helen has done this single handedly to perfection. A relentless job, without any complaints. This is essential in giving our new mentors the best possible start to their journey with Flourish and the girls they are supporting.

Helen has also taken it upon herself to source raffle prizes for our annual Christmas raffle, going into local businesses in Leamington and Warwick to drum up much needed support, which has helped us raise crucial funds for Flourish.

Helen has also volunteered in assisting our group mentoring, where she has helped to create a safe, welcoming space for girls to come and explore topics that impact them, feel less alone and feel more equipped to manage life's challenges.

Helen is one incredible, humble human, she has tirelessly supported Flourish, giving in excess of 1000 hours of her time. Flourish wouldn't be the same without her skills, character and time. We are thrilled that Helen's volunteering has been recognised through the award.

As a colleague put it 'The world needs more Helens!'