Two of Langley clients shared about their journey to live crime-free as part of Langley’s regional thanksgiving service in Wakefield.
On a fine spring evening in March 2017, approximately 50 supporters, staff, clients and trustees gathered together for the thanksgiving service.
Greg and Hannah* spoke about their experiences of life before coming to Langley, sharing candidly about how bleak life had been before being helped to start afresh through our Wakefield project.
Hannah in particular spoke about the joy and challenges of raising her children and living in the same house with them now that her life was more stable. She was visibly proud to be holding down a job for the first time in her life. She also spoke about getting to grips with paying bills on time – a norm for many but not a norm for our clients, particular when addictions or mental health issues have been involved.
The thanksgiving service was warmly hosted by St. Andrew’s Church which has had a historic link to our Wakefield project, including through providing a chaplaincy service. The Yourspace Café, hosted on site at the church, provided an eye-watering dessert spread which had been prepared by clients earlier in the day. A number of our clients volunteer at Yourspace Café which provides clients with training and employability skills opportunities.
The thanksgiving service was part of a number of regional services that Langley runs each year. Each thanksgiving celebrates Langley’s Christian ethos and highlights the work of our projects in the area.
A long-standing volunteer of 20 years was also praised for her long-standing commitment and service to our Wakefield project. She was given an OBE for her work in Criminal Justice in West Yorkshire.
Although in her late 80s, she spoke proudly spoke about her love for working with ex-offenders, motivated by her faith, and that she was still determined to play a part for as long as she could.
The next thanksgiving service will take place in Taunton in the autumn.
*names changed to protect identity
