Ruth Cox, Centre Manager at Justlife Manchester has been in post for a year. This is what she has to say:"I love coming to work and I feel inspired by the organisation and the people I work with and meet everyday.Before working at Justlife most of my experience had been working with poor communities in India. Justlife has opened my eyes to issues facing vulnerable people on my doorstep and in this community. I have been shocked by the challenges that people face in their lives and the desperate depths that people reach. But, it is brilliant that Justlife has the opportunity to be part of people's journey through and out of these times.Over the past year I have invested time in nurturing and developing the volunteers and staff, helping them to find their place and play to their strengths within the Justlife. Everyone who works and volunteers at Justlife is passionate. Passionate about what Justlife is doing in east Manchester and about the vision of the organisation. The team really cares and everyone goes above the call of duty to support each other and the people with which we are working. I love being part of a dynamic team every day.At Justlife we give an extraordinary welcome. Service users always comment on how at home they feel here. I contantly here phrases such as: "there is something different here", "Justlife is like family" and "It is more than...". The challenge as we move forward is to help people look beyond Justlife and feel confident, safe and welcomed as they move forward beyond Justlife.We have spent time making links with new partners, enabling us to offer new services and expand the horizons of our clients. These have included Eastlands Homes, The Royal Exchange Theatre, Beswick Library and Jobcentre Plus. We want to give our service users the message that the world does not stop at Justlife, when they are ready there is so much more. Everyday is different at Justlife, each having its own stories and I am sure that as we grow and develop this year this will continue to be the case."Pic: Ruth with the cooking workshop.
