I am Dutch-Italian, married to an Englishman. I have a degree in psychology and midwifery and I have a passion for people and travel.

My husband and I have travelled to 50 countries over the years, the first trip in 1978 being an adventure from Holland to India by bus and train, stopping in a number of countries on the way including Iran and Afghanistan. Through our travels we have met some truly wonderful people, from so many different cultures, lots of whom helped us through some difficult circumstances. We were welcomed into their communities, always fed and offered a bed for the night. By spending time with people from diverse cultures, one realises that we are all the same, we bleed the same blood and we have the same aspirations, hopes and fears.

I wanted to give back this ‘kindness of strangers’ and, just after I had retired from midwifery in 2019, I read about Sanctuary in Chichester in the local paper. It had recently been set up by Roger Pask and when I contacted him, I was invited to join as a volunteer. I started by making tea at the weekly drop-in event …and have never stopped! In the early days we used to cook and eat with the beneficiaries around a big table and share stories as best we could. Since then the charity has grown and evolved around the needs of the increasing number of beneficiaries.

Still making tea at the drop-ins, I am sometimes the first Sanctuary person a newly-arrived refugee or asylum seeker will meet, and I love making them feel welcome and offering them a cuppa, cake and a smile. Through the support we give people and helping them to integrate into the community, we help combat the turmoil, pain and loneliness that their displacement has caused them. What a privilege to be able to do this and volunteer with a wonderful team of kind and like-minded people.

At the end of the day everyone needs kindness and …a cup of tea!

Thank you Brianne! The staff team and volunteers are all grateful for the warm welcome, smiles and tea you give them too – very much appreciated, as drop-in days tend to be extremely busy and draining with little time to eat or drink, and the support requests at the drop-in can be quite relentless. Your calm, caring cuppas enable everyone to do their jobs more effectively.