Tag: client

Delicious Mediterranean food enjoyed at the Savera UK festive party

Savera UK clients enjoy festive party

This week Savera UK clients were invited to a festive party to mark the end of the year. While this was the last client event of 2022, true to Savera UK, the New Year will see more new beginnings as we host other client events.

Reihana, Savera UK’s Volunteer and Outreach Co-ordinator, kindly organised a Mediterranean fusion buffet for Savera UK’s clients to enjoy, including fresh falafel, chicken curry and a Greek salad. The lovely selection of food was coupled with a calm and welcoming environment for everyone to enjoy. This gave an opportunity for clients to get to know each other further and catch up over the Mediterranean food and delicious chocolate cake, which was heavily enjoyed by the clients’ children.Delicious Mediterranean food enjoyed at the Savera UK festive party

Reihana said this client drop in “provides clients with a safe space away from the hardships and stresses that they have been through, but is also a time for clients to smile and have fun”. Reihana expressed how important it is to host clients in an inclusive and safe environment, and this week’s drop in certainly provided this atmosphere.

For one client, the festive party was the first Savera UK client event they had attended. They described the atmosphere as “stunning” and was extremely “grateful and appreciative” for this space Savera UK provided. She said: “What more could you ask for”.

It is extremely valuable to hear these clients’ thoughts and it is clear that this welcoming, warm and inclusive atmosphere supplied by Savera UK has been very well received.

Client happiness, comfort and safety is at the heart of Savera UK’s work therefore hearing how grateful clients are to be given this safe space is fantastic to hear.

The Savera UK team and Savera UK Youth have had an amazing year and are excited to see what more changes and developments 2023 has to bring for the team. Savera UK would like to thank everyone who has helped and supported us in 2022, Savera UK would not be where it is without you.

Have a great festive season and a Happy New Year from all of us at Savera UK.

Written by Anushka Swannell.

Savera UK's festive party

Savera UK clients join Mrs Claus for festive party

Savera UK's festive party

Last week, Savera UK hosted a seasonal party for clients, which included a visit from a special Lapland resident.

All clients were invited to join the Covid regulation-compliant festivities where there was food, gifts and songs – including a rendition of Jingle Bells performed by some of the children.

Savera UK’s one-to-one Support Team organised hiring a room, decorating, setting up the gifts and getting on the phone to arrange the appearance of a special guest.

Thanks to their efforts Mrs Claus was on hand to give out gifts for both the children and their parents. We would like to thank Bookstart for donating gifts for the children and Brownlow Health Centre along with others for donating so we could buy gifts for our clients.

After checking that everyone was on the nice list, Mrs Claus handed out the gifts to excited children who couldn’t wait to open them.

Christmas gifts
Thank you to everyone who donated so Savera UK could provide gifts to clients

Savera UK Support Worker Emma, who helped organise the party and arranged the visit from Mrs Claus, said: “Often our clients don’t get the same opportunities as others and we wanted to make sure they experienced a Christmas party like the vast majority of other people.

“Christmas is all about magic and children and the fact that some families are from disadvantaged backgrounds should not mean that their children are denied these experiences.

“In addition, our clients have overcome so much hardship it is lovely to channel the Christmas spirit, especially with the challenges we have all faced during the pandemic.”

All clients were very thankful for the party, and one said: “It was amazing I liked the Mrs Santa idea. I enjoyed the food, drinks and I and the boys loved the gifts given as well. I love the fact that the gift was a surprise.”

Food parcels for Savera UK clients a the end-of-year party
Food parcels for Savera UK clients a the end-of-year party

Another Savera UK client said: “I and my kids attended the party, we really enjoyed it and had fun, the party venue was attractive and very well organised.

“Got lots and lots of presents and a food parcel, our buggies and prams yesterday were so full. Our kids got entertained and they were really feeling good and enjoyed it.”

One client described the party as “fabulous” and said they had “great fun with friends” and “delicious food”.

Asked about the children’s reaction to Mrs Claus, Emma said: “They were so excited and genuinely believed I was Mrs Claus which highlighted their innocence and the magic of it all.”

Emma said her favourite part was “seeing their little faces light up and how they all waited patiently for a gift”.

She said: “To keep [the children] entertained whilst they were waiting we asked them to explain how they can be sure they were on the ‘good list.’ Some of the things they said were heart-warming and it made all of the efforts so worth it. My favourite thing of one the children asked was if I could pass a message onto the elves to request the LOL gift set.

“Most importantly – it was seeing how much they appreciated it, adults and children alike, and this is reflected in their feedback.”

The Savera UK team and Board, clients, and volunteers, would like to thank every single person who helped and supported us in the last year, we are so appreciative and grateful.  

Have a wonderful festive period and a Happy New Year.  

Savera UK will be closed from 5pm on Thursday, 23rd December until Tuesday, 4th January. If you need support during this period click here.

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Ngunan Adamu teaches Savera UK clients how to share their stories during a training session

Savera UK clients learn how to share their stories with BBC Radio Merseyside producer

Ngunan Adamu teaches Savera UK clients how to share their stories during a training session
Ngunan Adamu teaches clients how to share their stories

At Savera UK, we work to empower survivors of ‘honour’-based abuse, forced marriage, female genital mutilation and other harmful practices. By doing so we aren’t just building up confidence, but also encouraging them to help us raise awareness.

As part of our campaign to #SpeakOut, BBC Radio Merseyside producer and presenter Ngunan Adamu provided training sessions for our clients who felt ready to learn about sharing their stories. Across two sessions, Ngunan, who is also the founder and CEO of iWoman Academy, spoke to Savera UK clients about the power of sharing stories, what journalists look for and how to write a press release.

Speaking about the training Ngunan said: “The aim of the session was methods in owning your voice, be confident in telling your story and having a knowledge of how the media industry works especially when dealing with journalists.”

Ngunan did this by asking clients what their story was, discussing story plot lines and narratives and by asking how they can be confident in recording their story.

During the first session, Ngunan asked clients about a story they remembered and the reasons why they remembered it. We learnt that emotion, relevance and timing were all important in creating a newsworthy story. Clients learnt how to connect with an audience and were asked to write their own stories ready for the next session.

Ngunan Adamu teaches Savera UK clients how to share their stories during a training session

The following day Ngunan discussed their stories with the clients and talked about how to capture people’s attention, the best way to build a story and how to tell your story in a way that suits you. Our clients recorded their own stories to get used to saying them out loud, an exercise that some found difficult but important to do.

Asked what her highlight of the training was, Ngunan said: “I loved how engaged the participants were, they took part in every part of the session, even when it was hard for them to tell their story.”

She said they responded well to the training and “acknowledged how hard it was for them to tell their story” but said it “felt like it was like therapy”.

Ngunan added: “And I learnt from them, it was a reciprocal experience.”

One Savera UK client said: “During the workshop, it was amazing to see participants’ stories take form, especially to witness their impact double as Ngunan helped us tell them more effectively.

“I wasn’t sure what to expect when I went in. After all, how could a two-day workshop help me lift the writers’ block that I have carried around for nearly half a decade? But somewhere in the middle of our exercises or getting answers to some longstanding questions, something clicked.

“I can already feel blog posts and articles bubbling in my head. I haven’t felt this way in a long, long time.”

You can see a series of animations of the client stories that emerged from this training here.

Thank you to Ngunan, and to the Small Change Fund and the Lloyds Bank Foundation who funded this training and helped amplify the voices of Savera UK clients.