I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Julie Budge, Founder and Development Manager of My Sisters House C.I.C, Arun & Chichester Women’s Centre Project. Her ambitious, tenacious and passionate approach to improving the lives of others gives us something to aspire to…
Tell us about some of the projects you have been involved in the past?
I began my career in voluntary community sector in 1991 when I set up and managed for 7 years the Portsmouth & Havant Victim Support Scheme, during that time I worked in depth with many victims and/or their families of serious crime then moved on to be the CEO of CAB in Portsmouth. I then became a freelance trainer / consultant to the Third Sector and in 2011 set up the Fundraising Hub raising over £1 million with a team of volunteers for 22 different organisations.
What or who inspired you to set up this particular Social Enterprise?
I guess a mixture of life – 20 years in the sector , a combination of many stories from women , the death of my father making me refocus on what I really wanted to do and a period of being bullied at work by another women which reduced my confidence and self esteem and made me think about others who could not escape from such/ knowing some women who needed training in personal /communication skills!
I then went through a period of really hating my job, hating myself, feeling rubbish at things and began worrying what message I was giving my children. So one day I was distracting my misery by clearing out the loft and discovered some research I had done 10 years ago , about women’s centres, including some of my notes at the time with ideas and plans. At that point, I realised that everything I had done, the skills, knowledge and experience I had gained, even the bad stuff, was going to help me bring the ideas to life. I also knew some amazing women that could help me make it happen!
So, taking a brave pill I gave up my high paid job and got to work on my ideas. That same day I walked into town and unbelievably I met three of those women in various shops – synchronicity at its best!
I understand the process for securing funding can be quite tricky. How did you go about fundraising this time?
Fundraising is about putting your passion into words and getting across the real difference you will make. Then it’s about targeting the right funder so they will hear what you are saying. I knew the funder that has invested in this project believes us – believes that we are an innovative organisation that will make a difference to many women.
What obstacles have you and your team had to overcome along the way?
Our biggest obstacle so far has been the problem of opening a bank account when the board are truly from grassroots – personal credit problems albeit quite minor have an impact on one’s ability to open a bank account these days, yet, I have been approved as a Director of a community interest company! We sorted it in the end however, it took 5 weeks. It rattled us, as we believe the joint responsibility of any funds should be taken into account rather than one or two individuals. There are eight of us on the Board. We cracked this however, we will be writing to the Business Minister to share our views at some point!
How important is this project for women in Bognor Regis and what do you envisage they will get out of the training?
I truly believe that feeling ‘connected’ is a central part of our lives and makes us happier people. For some women fear & shame for whatever reasons make them feel less connected so it is important for women to be able to access the centre and make friends that will last a lifetime, learn from other women and receive the support that is needed.
We want to offer many peer women’s groups for both young and older women that have their own special issues so they can meet and share with those that have similar issues. We also want to offer an older women mentor to young women who have no female relative support. We want to offer a warm secure welcoming environment where they can feel safe and from there we can develop them in a way that makes them even happier. We want to make real change locally and to that end encourage and help more women play active local community roles and fight against the negative environment so that what happens locally reflects the needs of the community.
Instilling confidence is clearly something that you do well. What tips can you give others to help boost their confidence levels?
Being bold has magic to it. Be brave, you matter, your voice, your story, your feelings matter and your life matters. I would encourage people to think about the butterfly effect. The small things we do can ripple outwards and touch someone else’s world, so that eventually you will create an impact. Try it…
What would you say is your best achievement in your life so far?
I was recently diagnosed with cancer cells in the cervix and as a result, I had a hysterectomy. I believe that having a supportive family and keeping a positive mindset throughout the period of my prognosis and the decision to have major surgery, my physical and emotional recovery has been much quicker than even I had expected.
I am also proud of the fact that during my 20 years working for the voluntary sector I have helped raise over 6.5K for a variety of causes including CAB, Victim Support, Chichester area Mind, Outset Youth Action and 22 smaller charitable organisations in the South East.
What are your goals over the coming year?
We will shortly be delivering our first two FREE courses in Bognor, Confidence Building starting on Tuesday 25th November for 8 weeks and an Employability Skills Programme starting on Thursday 27th November for 6 weeks. The aim is to offer more programmes like this in the future.
We plan to open an up cycled clothes enterprise in Chichester in April 2015 where 8 women apprentices will have the opportunity to learn dress making and fashion skills and create up cycled clothing for the high end fashion market. Monies raised from the sale of these clothes will then be ploughed back into the future projects.
Also in July 2015 we plan to open a Women’s Centre in Bognor which will offer a whole host of programmes including talking therapies, coaching and mentoring, public speaking, parenting, budgeting, literacy, healthy living such as cooking and hygiene plus a crèche facility.
How do you respond when people ask you why your project supports women as opposed to men?
There are over 40 women’s centres in England and the nearest to Bognor are in Brighton, Bristol and Croydon. These centres are well established and have proven that women connecting with other women in a community service environment are far more productive than those in organisations that don’t offer a holistic approach or as we like to call it, a one stop shop. Women who have experienced domestic violence for example need to feel safe and secure in a venue purely for women. It helps build their confidence and self esteem and ultimately our aim is to encourage them into a vocational placement or a job. Our long-term plan is to work with men too however, this will be in a community outreach environment.
Julie’s inspirational story has certainly opened my eyes to the way I approach life and the opportunities that come my way. I hope it has inspired you………
If you would like to find out more about the project or to volunteer please contact Julie on 01243 828118 or visit https://www.facebook.com/mysistershouseuk
Sharon Mapley
Administration & Marketing Consultant
Freelance Business Services Sussex
Blog/Article Writing and Web Copy
