Rebuilding shattered young lives

Cragg Royd, an elegant Edwardian property in Oxenhope, opened last month following an ambitious £480,000 renovation, and for the next year it will be home to a group of young women aged 16 to 28 with emotional problems.

It is the first Mercy Ministries house in Britain and women from around the world have applied to stay there. As reported by the Telegraph & Argus, two women moved when the house first opened in the first week of September, a further two moved in the following week and there will eventually be 11 residents.

The house is run by Mercy Ministries UK, a charity helping women who have suffered sexual, physical and mental abuse, alcohol and drug abuse, depression, self-harming and eating disorders. Mercy Ministries UK, based in Bradford, is the British branch of an international charity launched in America, where there are three homes and two more planned. The only other country to have them is Australia, which has two.

Mercy Ministries UK director Kerry Slater says the Oxenhope community has been supportive of the project and there has been an open evening at the home for villagers.

The house, which stands in two acres of grounds, was bought for Mercy Ministries by an anonymous private trust for £560,000. The charity raised £480,000 to renovate and equip the property, with £100,000 matched by the trust. It will cost Mercy Ministries UK between £20,000 and £25,000 a month to run the house - entirely from donations.

The ambitious renovation, carried out by Keighley contractors Woollers, involved replacing the roof and installing new windows, central heating, hot water and a new electrical system. Thousands of pounds worth of furniture has been donated by companies and individuals.

"We started renovating the house less than a year ago; it needed so much work doing to it and now it's a lovely home and the first residents have moved in. It's hard to believe how far we've come," says Kerry. "We've had so much support, both from individuals and businesses in the Bradford district and from across the UK and even overseas. We hope to be part of the community but at the same time we're providing somewhere private and secluded for the girls to rebuild their lives."

The charity has been keen to provide a home, rather than a hostel. The emphasis is also on independence; the girls are expected to do their own laundry, take care of their bedrooms and cook for themselves and others. They will learn life skills, including budgeting, diet, health and fitness, and there will be courses in literacy and IT led by volunteer tutors in a teaching room.

"We're placing value on these young women," says Kerry. "We're saying that they deserve to be in a pleasant, comfortable environment like this; somewhere they have dignity. We've made sure they have their own bathrooms rather than having a communal bathroom because we wanted them to have some privacy. We're making a commitment to the girls so they feel wanted and secure.

"We're two things," she adds. "The residential provision and support network helps the girls to work through their issues in a secure environment and the counselling and education programme helps them develop skills for life."

The girls taking residence are referred by other agencies but must apply to the charity themselves to show they are committed.

"There's a massive demand for a facility like this. We're anticipating a waiting list," says Kerry. "There's very little provision for girls with problems of this kind, yet there are constantly rising numbers of vulnerable young women. Depression among teenagers has tripled in ten years and a generation of young women is struggling to cope with eating disorders and self-harming. Sorting through the applications, we cried at the depravity of abuse, the extremes of addiction, the eating disorders and self-harming, the repeated suicide attempts and the utter lack of hope and sense of worthlessness."

The charity doesn't take people with drug or alcohol addictions, but will accept them from a detox programme. "We're not medically trained to deal with anyone who is seriously ill," says Kerry. "Coming here is a second step forward for these girls, somewhere they can prepare for the outside world."

Many of the girls self-harm and have eating disorders. Kerry says both are manifestations of other emotional problems.

"There's a misconception about eating disorders that you can snap out of it, but it's not as simple as that. To someone struggling with life, controlling what they eat to the point of obsession is a coping mechanism. We look at the wider issue to try and reach the root of the problem, then we can start helping the girls change their lifestyles. We look at self worth and developing a sense of that beyond what you look like. It's about finding the root cause of problems and trying to provide distractions and alternate coping mechanisms through activity.

"We will make a point of eating around the dining table together - that's very important for girls with eating disorders - and we're planning to develop a vegetable patch in the garden where they can grow their own food and learn about nutrition in the process. The garden will be tended by volunteers.

"We provide a holistic programme based on Christian counselling that can take up to a year, depending on the individual. We'll organise arts activities and trips, go to the gym, shopping and for walks. The girls are here of their own free will and have regular contact and visits from family and friends."

The young women arriving at Cragg Royd are embarking on the start of a new journey. "It's the end of months of waiting, praying, hanging onto tattered shreds of hope," adds Kerry. "It's also a beginning, a fresh hope that there's a place willing to accept them, a place with expert knowledge and understanding of their problems, where they are loved unconditionally and accepted for who they are now, not just who they can become."

l For more information about Mercy Ministries UK ring (01535) 642042 or lok at their website at www.mercyministries.co.uk.