A woman with vision

Meet Jo, who is the daughter of my cousin Margaret (sadly no longer with us due to breast cancer). Jo and her Dad, Michael, came from Sunderland to see us today.

We had a great catch up. The best part was hearing Jo talk about her work. She runs an organisation called My Sisters' Kitchen, a stand alone, social enterprise.

Here is part of their mission statement:
"The mission of My Sisters’ Kitchen is to provide training, employment and sense of belonging to some of the most disadvantaged women in Sunderland. We work alongside women who live with ‘multiple disadvantage’, women experiencing domestic abuse are more than likely experiencing other forms of social and economic disadvantage such as poverty, unemployment, crime, poor mental health, and those leaving care. We work with these women for as long as they need our support, offering a safe space as they overcome barriers from lack of opportunity and social exclusion, preparation for employment, and guidance in building towards a positive future."

She does that and much more, now turning her energies towards providing appropriate help for young people who are neurodiverse or have mental health problems. 

She told us about the food deserts in parts of our region. People live in small villages (formerly mining) and there are no food shops in their immediate vicinity. (There are take aways!) She has been lobbying councillors and plays an active part in a project called Bags of Taste. Participants are provided with the ingredients and taught to cook three basic meals. For women who have never cooked this is a huge step forward.

The project for Men with Pies did not take off well enough but she may return to that group with bread making.

Jo is a single mother, bringing up a daughter (now working successfully for the Government) and a son who has autism and very brittle Type I diabetes. She knows what it is like to struggle

We are full of admiration.

I did take a photo of her with her Dad but he dozed off (not really!)

Otherwise I had a massage from my physio (ouch) and a plan for exercises for my back/hip pain. Then a visit to KwikFit to diagnoses the slow puncture. I now have to take it to the garage where a previous puncture was repaired.........the saga continues.