Friend of the New Futures Project Natalie Wallinger came in to see us recently facing a rather daunting artistic challenge – to use her photographic skills to convey all that goes on in our building.
The 16-year-old certainly rose to the occasion and we are absolutely delighted with the results of her visit.
We think she has captured just how busy our London Road base can can be at times.
However, her images also show our building is a welcoming place where women and young people come for support at their time of greatest need, assured they will be treated with the greatest care and respect.
Natalie said: “Approaching this task, I aimed to capture and reflect the comfortable environment and relationships within the building.
“By using the artistic freedom I was given, I believe I have successfully represented the warm and friendly nature of New Futures.
“I understand the importance of the support the Project offers to women and am grateful for the opportunity to help, no matter how big or small my part is.
“I was very excited to be able to put my photographic skills into practice in a way that will have a positive impact on others.
“While on the premises, I immediately felt welcomed by the amazing staff and challenged myself to produce my absolute best work.
“Even though I explored the building predominantly alone with my camera, I still received helpful guidance where I needed it.
“Throughout this experience, I was very interested in learning more about what New Futures Project does and deepening my understanding of their impact.
“My curiosity was met with approachable staff who happily answered any of my questions. This gave me an immediate sense of belonging.
“Overall, I’m very happy with what I’ve managed to create during this time, keeping the editing of my shots to the bare minimum to accurately capture the full essence of the charity and its impact.
“I’m thankful to have been offered this invaluable opportunity.”
Della Kagure Brown, director of the New Futures Project, said: “We are all delighted with the results of Natalie’s work.
“She is clearly a gifted photographer and more importantly a woman with a clear understanding of the needs of the clients we support.
“I feel she has captured the ethos of the project perfectly.
“We hope she will continue to work with us in the future and wish her every success in the future.
Natalie is currently studying A Levels in business, law and photography at King Edward VI College. She hopes to continue her education at university.
We’ll be using her pictures to illustrate and bring to life the stories in the news and blogs section of our website and our social media posts.
Again, we would like to thank her for her efforts and wish her every success in the future.
New Futures was set up more than 20 years ago to support women involved in sex work.
However, we have evolved into a welfare and counselling service for women and young people dealing with sexual abuse or exploitation – frequently involving domestic violence, trafficking, poverty and debt, substance use or mental ill-health.
Call us on 0116 251 0803 or send us a message at: info@new-futures.org.uk
You can find us at 71 London Road, Leicester, LE2 0PE.