Trowbridge charity hostel celebrates its first year’s help (From Wiltshire Times)

Trowbridge charity hostel celebrates its first year’s help

1:00pm Saturday 4th February 2012 in Trowbridge

Charity which helps pregnant and abused young women has celebrated the first anniversary of the opening of its hostel.

Vine for Pat opened its 10-bedroom Trowbridge town centre hostel a year ago, to help young women who find themselves in apparently impossible situations to turn their lives around.

Since then the charity, which is entirely run by volunteers, has helped up to 15 young women. Some only stay at the hostel for several days while others have been there for nine months.

On Saturday the women and volunteers got together for a tea party to celebrate the milestone for the charity, which was originally established in 1989 as the Vine Project.

Founder Pat Penny said: “Many of the young ladies come to us in a really bad way but when they leave they are transformed into different people.

“We get them into college courses and training and we bring people in to teach them new skills.

“We are all volunteers, our payment is seeing these women come out completely transformed.”

Vine for Pat is always looking for support. To help, call 01225 710466.