Alison Harris

I joined Phoenix in 2019 as a service user. I have worked in production, been a volunteer and am now a member of staff . . . so I have first-hand experience of the difference Phoenix can make in someone’s life. People ask me how ‘someone like me’ could have been a service user – because I have a university degree and look like I can do anything – but being clever doesn’t always mean you are good at life. The great thing about Phoenix is that everyone is accepted for who they are, with all their quirks. Every day at Phoenix is different and my role encompasses almost everything . . . so I can be paying bills to keep the charity running one minute, then helping someone with their Universal Credit account, then making Halloween decorations . . . and it all makes a difference in people’s lives.

When I’m not at Phoenix I enjoy reading and singing with a number of choirs in Swindon and further away.