At the recent Listening Place Open Evening, Sue Coakley, the new Manager, received the keys to The Listening Place from the retiring Manager, Sue Robbins. Sue Robbins summarised her achievements from fourteen years at The Listening Place. Not only had the Listeners been able to help clients overcome their troubles, big and small, but courses had been run for local groups such as Practice Managers, The Foodbank and Wardens of local Almshouses. The skills involved in listening without offering well meaning advice, judgement or interruption had been passed on to benefit many more people in this way. They and their feelings had been listened to and truly heard.
Sue was presented with a Garden Centre voucher, flowers and a Memory book. A clearly delighted Sue exclaimed “I wanted to buy a tree – now I can buy a wood!” A special ‘Thank You’ cake was enjoyed by all after the talk by Alex Ewing, Director of the Bridge Project.
Alex remarked on the synergy between the service provided by Chaplains in schools to pupils, staff and parents and that of the Listening Place. He said “The Chaplains provide a space – safe, unhurried and welcoming. A space where young people, staff and families can breathe. A space where they are not judged, assessed or hurried along. A space where Chaplains can help bridge the gap between silence and being heard, between isolation and belonging, between despair and hope. Listening changes everything – knowledge we share with the Listeners at The Listening Place”
The Bridge Project works in 23 schools, both primary and secondary, across Wiltshire and north Dorset. Its vision is for a future where every young person is given the space to grow in wellbeing and spirituality, enabling them to live life in all its fullness.
