A WOMAN who has benefited from the support of a Tavistock charity has thanked the staff for turning her life around.

Annie, who lives in the town, has a new job with a housing association supporting women who are facing hardships in the same way she did before she started working with Gifted Women.

The charity helps women like Annie, who are overcoming disadvantages to get jobs and she is grateful for the chance to pick herself up having suffered domestic abuse and drug and alcohol addictions.

Her issues led to mental and physical health problems and post traumatic stress disorder. She says she is now getting her life back on track and seeking inner peace after all the struggles.

The charity Gifted Women, which is backed by a social enterprise called Flourish Paperworks in Tavistock, has received major funding towards its employability programme

It was was founded by Jenny Adjene who, with a background working in the criminal justice system and drug rehabilitation, first set up a social enterprise as a means of offering employment to women overcoming disadvantages. This led to the creation of Gifted Women, which now supports dozens of women to rebuild their lives after adverse life experiences including substance misuse, homelessness and contact with the criminal justice system.

Annie said: “I can’t thank Gifted Women enough, I came to Tavistock to be near family after ending up in a refuge in Wales because of many setbacks. I was diagnosed with PTSD in 2019. One day in 2022 I met with Jenny in a cafe and told her about myself and she was non-judgemental and told me all about Gifted Women.

“I went on her 12-week course and made lots of frends and got lots of good advice and therapy. It was a bit overwhelming to start with but I soon realised how it could help me recover my self-belief and confidence. The course also opened doors for me. They helped me study curses in social care whith safeguarding, mental health and ways of helping people. That’s my passion, helping vulnerable women with complex needs who were in my position, as a night worker at the housing associaion.”

Her ambition is to study for a diploma qualifying her to advise women needing suport for complext needs.

Annie added: “Now it’s down to me to achieve inner peace and a better work life balance. But I wouldn’t be at this point in my life without Jenny and Gifted Women, along with the friends I made there.”