Meet Emily

Emily* was trafficked into the UK in 2020. We first met Emily after she’d got away from her traffickers into a much safer situation, and been referred to us by a partner organisation.

“Being lonely and frustrated is a tough thing,” Emily explains. “But I thank God when I came here I met love. Bramber bakehouse for me is my backbone.” 

Emily joined our cohort in July 2021. A keen baker, she was quick to learn each bake. She took the recipe home every week to practise, sharing delicious baked products with her household. She even surprised our community with homemade chicken pies during our workshop! 

“I loved the baking so very much,” Emily remembers. “I hope to improve in that, even becoming a professional baker. And the wellbeing section, I loved that as well. I love it all, it’s all motivating.” 

During her time on the Bramber Bakehouse programme, Emily worked alongside our Programme Coordinator to identify three goals she’d like to move towards: 

• Increase her mental wellbeing through sport and exercise 

• Improve her English, Maths and computers skills 

• Build her experience through volunteering in the community 

With the support of her case worker, working alongside our Programme Coordinator, Emily undertook a course via a local training provider for functional skills and computing.

18 months ago, Emily was granted limited leave to remain in the UK, which meant she was able to start volunteering in a local charity shop. We were also delighted when she asked to join our Bakehouse family as a volunteer. 

“Being useful is so much to people in my situation,” Emily says, “It keeps me going. It should be a continuous thing, because it’s changing lives.”

Today she provides inspirational support to women joining our programme, showing the amazing transformation that can take place. Building on the resilience found through her difficult experiences, Emily is going from strength to strength. We are so proud of how far Emily has come. 

*names have been changed to protect identity