The Names on the Doors: ‘I felt numb and gutted she never got that fresh start she so deserved’ – Zoe’s story

When women come to us for counselling we take them to one of seven bright and cosy rooms where they can talk in peace and comfort.

As they walk through the door they might notice a nameplate.

That is because we decided some time ago to commemorate those women who turned to us for help through the most difficult times in their lives before dying, all too often, pitifully young.

As time goes by, fewer people know about those women and their experiences, so we thought it would be fitting to tell their stories, where possible with the help of those who knew them best.

This, the third piece in our occasional series, The Names on the Doors, is Zoe’s story – told by our crisis support worker,  Avril Lewis.

I first met Zoe on outreach in late-2021. She came across as vulnerable, polite and well-presented. She had a beautiful smile, Avril (pictured) writes.

She was petite and you could see she would be an easy target for bullying, unruly men, punters and other working girls.

I had a really good rapport with Zoe and she would often chat with me if no one else was in sight when I saw her on outreach.

She never came into the project. I got the sense she was fearful of some of the other girls that came in.

Some people have very negative opinions of working girls. They seem to think it’s a life they choose and that they love doing this kind of work.

Most of the girls I’ve had the pleasure of chatting to hate it and want out, but see no way out.

I just seems to be a vicious circle. Zoe who was in her mid-4os, was one of these girls.

I remember seeing her out working not long after she’d been in hospital. She’d been assaulted really badly.

It was so brutal, she was lucky to be alive.

We had a long conversation and she told me her mum, who lived in Spain, was coming over to see her.

Zoe said her mum had two houses in Spain, so I said: “Why are you here then? I hope you’re going back with her.”

She said she was thinking about it and I told her: “There’s nothing here for you. Go and get a fresh start.”

We had a laugh about it too.

I saw her a few weeks later when I was on outreach. She came to the car and said: “I know”.

I looked at her and asked how she’d been. I felt gutted inside that she’d not taken that step and gone to Spain with her mum to make that fresh start.

A few months later, in April last year, she suffered another serious attack and ended up in hospital.

Again, that nearly killed her.

Zoe was moved from the city and I never saw her after that.

I found out a few months later that she had passed.

I felt numb and gutted that she’d never got that fresh start she so deserved after going through what she had.

New Futures is a safe space for the women. It’s the one place they can come and be themselves and not be judged.

One of the most important things is we don’t want or take anything from them.

Having the names of girls on the counselling rooms’ doors is so important.

So many of these women were made to feel worthless for much of their lives by people they met and the situations they were in.

They are always in our thoughts and are still valued for the people they were.

The New Futures Project offers a comprehensive welfare and counselling service for women and young people dealing with sexual abuse or exploitation, 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.

We publish a monthly newsletter to tell the stories of the women we support and to round up all the things we’ve been doing. 

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