Melanie’s' Journey
Since I left the father of my children due to domestic abuse in 2019, Oasis has been my rock and my family’s safety net. The support my family and I have received has been unimaginable. I do not know how I would have kept my head above water these last few years without them...I have been coming to Oasis since 2018 when my first son was a few months old. I fell pregnant again when he was four months old and eventually felt unable to attend as my pregnancy developed due to the children’s father not wanting me to go. Despite my disconnection from Oasis due to my isolation, Caroline and her team were always there for me in the background and welcomed me back with open arms.
After I ended the relationship, my children were abducted by their father. Oasis supported me and sourced me a solicitor and an urgent court hearing was held to secure their safe return to me. Oasis has provided me with ongoing emotional support–from the moment I left my children’s father, my children and I become homeless, the ongoing harassment and abuse from my children's father, my son’s autism diagnosis, and the ongoing court battles.
The staff at Oasis have always been there for me as a listening ear and to guide me in making the right decisions for my family. Everything the team at Oasis has done for us has always been led by what is best for my two small children, and, as a result, they are thriving and are very happy little boys. Prioritising the children of the families that Oasis works with is always at the heart of what they do.
Oasis has given me the opportunity to do art therapy, as well as life-coaching to empower me to be the best mum I can be. They have put me on domestic abuse courses, as well as courses on resilience and acceptance and commitment therapy which have helped me understand what the children and I have been through and ensure my kids have a better and brighter future with a mother that feels like she can now take on the world.
This feeling is in total contrast to my former self and I really have Oasis to thank for that. Caroline at Oasis does so much for us mums and despite being so busy because of all the hard work she puts in for us, she always makes time for us individually. I do not know how I and other families would have coped over lockdown without the fresh food bank that she set up at Oasis. Oasis has continually given us security during the holidays, too: at Xmas with the Xmas lunch food parcels they provided, along with all the wonderful presents organised for all the children so all of us families can enjoy a wonderful Xmas day despite our circumstances.
At Easter, we even got hot cross buns and eggs and it was so wonderful. These are things that mean so much to families like mine. Caroline and the staff at Oasis are true heroes. With all that Caroline does for us families in the community, I do not know how she has time for herself, but I have never seen her not smiling. Every time I see her, she is always busy being there for someone.
My family love all the staff at Oasis, and I know we are not the only ones. Oasis is a pillar in our community and is giving so many of us a better quality of life, and us families are eternally grateful
