All Saints Ryde Hub Spotlight
Liz is the Social Transformation Lead at All Saints Ryde on the Isle of Wight. We caught up with her recently to hear all about the inspiring work they are doing to support the needs of women in their community through the work of their Love Your Neighbour Hub.
Liz, tell us about what All Saints is involved with…
One of the main projects we run is Vista, which works to support women involved in the sex industry - past or present. We visit massage parlours and offer regular one-to-one support.
Vista was launched four years ago at Harbour Church in Portsmouth and we received funding in 2024 to enable it to extend to the Isle of Wight. It’s really hard for women to get access to support here due to the hidden nature of the industry, and women we support have often experienced a significant level of trauma throughout their lives.
Vista offers a non-judgmental space, confidential listening ear with safety, and next steps planning where a woman is seeking change, as well as holistic support to any woman affected by sexual exploitation. We offer advocacy, signposting and referrals, and help with access to safe housing, drug and alcohol services, and sexual health. We also offer prayer if that is welcome.
Women who we support have also attended the ACE’s Recovery Toolkit that we host in partnership with Community Action Isle of Wight within our church building.
Can you share more about that?
ACE’s (Adverse Childhood Experience) Recovery Toolkit is a well-established programme that’s run nationally that we help facilitate at All Saints. Over 10 weeks, the programme helps those who attend to unpack and understand stressful or traumatic experiences in childhood, and how it has impacted them. There are different modules such as managing emotions, understanding attachment, and understanding toxic stress. Often, people have a light bulb moment where they realise that they’re not a bad person, they're just a product of their environment and circumstances. It gives them tools to help them move forward.
Both Vista and ACE’s feed into each other. We have had women who have attended ACE’s who we have then been able to offer support to through Vista.
After a life troubled by one abusive relationship after another, and with the threat of her children being taken away by social services, one of the women supported by Liz and the team shared,
“Now I have the support of the Vista team, it’s been amazing and has really helped me. We meet regularly, and they have shown me other support that’s available too. I just know I’m not on my own, and I now know there’s more to life than being depressed. Liz has just supported and encouraged me and been lovely.”
Liz, what other programmes are you involved with?
We manage two separate Alms houses in Ryde offering accommodation for women over the age of 60 in financial need. They are separate charities but linked to All Saints and the church in Ryde.
We also have a Hope into Action house; a project offering housing to women at risk of homelessness, including those recovering from addiction, refugees, or women fleeing domestic abuse. We’re supported by the church, other local donations, and grant funding, as well as Hope into Action UK.
We’re also very excited to be launching Spa 61 which is a safe space where women within our community can come and be pampered, and receive a bit of TLC. We serve fresh coffee, a delicious brunch and offer manicures, and shoulder massages or hand massages from a team of trained professionals and volunteers. It’s an opportunity for us to show Jesus’s love in action.
If you’d like to find out more about the support being offered through the Love Your Neighbour team at All Saints Ryde, head to their website: www.ryde.church/lyn