Farewell from our founder and CEO, Ellen Baldwin
This week I step down as CEO of Release Counselling and Therapy for Women, after founding the Charity 11 years ago. It has been my deepest honour to nurture and grow this Charity, which at its heart has always been to support women’s mental health and empower their wellbeing. When I began the Charity, I never could have expected that, at this point in the organisation’s history, we would have supported over 1500 individual women and their families, and grown to become a specialist maternal mental health service in Sussex. I simply began by offering to others, the support which I myself needed in my own journey of motherhood. I always felt it couldn’t just be me struggling, and indeed, over the years, hundreds of women have resonated with the need for emotional support in the transition to motherhood, and our Mother Nurture project (formerly Mummyshock) has become our flagship project, alongside our 1-2-1 counselling provision.
A wonderful community of women
Over the years the Charity has gathered the most wonderful community of women; through our staff, volunteers, Board, Service Users and partners and allies! What has touched me most is seeing former mums who have attended our groups, then being inspired to train as therapists, and give back to other mums. Some of them have even joined our team! There has truly been a ripple effect via the Charity, where I still bump into previous participants, and they share with me that they are still friends with group members, and they still support one another. It has given me deep joy to see people’s lives impacted for the better, by offering our counselling and therapeutic groups across communities in Sussex, via our team.
In leading this Charity, I too have been changed in turn, by each of the women whose lives have touched mine. As I leave to take time to nurture my own health and wellbeing after my cancer diagnosis a few months ago, I feel deeply imprinted by these years leading Release, and will carry this with me into the future. Special thanks to my incredible team and all the Trustees who have fanned the flame of the vision for the Charity, and supported me personally so generously. I commend to you our new CEO Amy, and our wonderful team and Board, to continue the work of the Charity- you are in great hands.
With my love and thanks, Ellen