Monday 27th January 2025
Meet a trustee… Leonie
We welcomed former nurse Leonie Lucas onto our board of trustees in Autumn 2024
I’ve known something of Pilgrims’ Friend Society my whole life. My parents are long -time supporters and my father, Bryan Jarvis, was a trustee for many years. As children, we would visit the homes and help with the ‘Sales of Work’, including making things like greetings cards to sell.
I always found talking to the older people interesting. I loved hearing their stories. Visiting instilled in me that an older person is a valuable person who has lived a whole life and is worthy of respect.
Being around older people influenced my decision to become as a nurse. My first job was in a nursing home to see if a caring role was definitely for me. I did my nurse training in Warwick and my first nursing job was in elderly rehab. I then worked in A&E for 15 years. I’m passionate about advocating for those who are vulnerable.
I’ve also spent time working with NHS Direct. Sometimes, often late at night, older people would call for a chat. There are a lot of lonely people out there and this showed me the importance of community.
When we were living in Leamington Spa, I worked in women’s ministry. This mainly involved Bible teaching, training women, and supporting women pastorally. As an A&E nurse, I learned how to gain people’s trust quickly and talk about difficult things, which were useful skills in pastoral care.
We moved to Norfolk about three years ago. Initially I worked in a school and then in May 2024, I started a role with Christian charity CARE as their OPEN (GB) Consultant, supporting churches in caring for women who have had an abortion or experienced baby loss.
I love that Pilgrims’ Friend Society is Christian not just in name but in DNA. It is our responsibility as Christians to love and care for people in old age and they should never feel like a burden. They should be honoured, treasured and learned from.
As well as sitting on the board at Pilgrims’ Friend Society, I’ll be part of the care and housing health and safety subcommittee. I’ll also be linked to Emmaus House in Harrogate and am looking forward to supporting the staff there. I aim to be a trusted friend, drawing on my experience where I can.
My favourite hobby is pottery. My husband Matt bought me a pottery lesson for my birthday and I loved it. Then, in lockdown, he found a broken pottery wheel and fixed it up for me. I find doing something with my hands helps me unwind and process things. I make lots of mugs, jugs and bowls – things that have a use. Pretty much everyone around me is likely to be gifted pottery at some point!
