Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, Helen Nellis, Visits the Mary Seacole Housing Association

One of Luton’s leading charities for homeless and vulnerable young people, the Mary Seacole Housing Association, was honoured with a visit from, HM Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, Helen Nellis who is The Queen’s representative in the county.

Mrs Nellis was greeted by Trustees Peter and Ann Cowan, along with Audrey Lewis the Chief Executive of the Association. She was then introduced to other members of the charity’s Board of Trustees, Keith Williams, a Social Worker, and Deborah Saini, a personal injury lawyer from award-winning leading regional law firm Pictons.

Deborah said “The Lord Lieutenant visited the Mary Seacole Housing Association for two hours. She met members of staff, clients and members of the management team and visited the Association’s housing to see the accommodation provided for homeless young people and the training unit. She was very interested in the work of the charity and asked us a lot of questions. She was very sympathetic and understanding of the needs of our clients and was very down to earth and genuinely interested in hearing from the clients and finding out more about the Association.”

The young clients asked Helen about her role as Lord-Lieutenant and she said “In my role as Lord-Lieutenant it is very important for me to find out more about the excellent work that is being done to help the most vulnerable people within our society by the charities and organisations in the county. As a Trustee, President and Patron of a number of charities myself I understand that challenges that these organisations are facing on a daily basis.

“The Mary Seacole Housing Association is an excellent example of an organisation which is totally committed to helping and supporting young and vulnerable people to stand on their own two feet and move on with their lives. So many young people end up in tragic circumstances that can be beyond their control and with the right support and guidance they can overcome their challenges and move on to lead much happier lives.

“I was very moved and impressed by the work of the charity and it was a pleasure to witness first hand the tremendous work that they do within the county.”

Audrey Lewis, Chief Executive of Mary Seacole Housing Association says “We were incredibly honoured to host a visit by Helen Nellis, the Lord-Lieutenant of Bedfordshire and was very impressed by Helen’s ability to engage the clients in communication.

“She was very thorough and took time to speak to staff and most importantly the young people we support. She was able to provide advice to them on subjects they that they had spoken to her about. Everyone works so hard at the charity to raise funds and make life better for the clients; Helen’s visit is a true acknowledgement of the work we do at Mary Seacole Housing Association Limited.