Meet Emily Perry
To mark trustee week, we caught up with Emily Perry, who joined the Board of Trustees at My Sisters’ House Women’s Centre earlier this year. With a strong personal connection to our work and a passion for creating lasting change for women and children, Emily brings a host of valuable skills, experience and commitment to the role.
Originally from Bognor, Emily understands the importance of having specialist support available within our local community. Having lived experience of violence against women and girls, she is particularly passionate about helping women access the tools, confidence and support they need to rebuild their lives and break the cycle of domestic abuse.
In this interview, Emily shares what inspired her to become a trustee, why empowering women is so important to her, and what gives her hope for the future of women in our community.
Emily, what inspired you to join the board of trustees, and what excites you most about being part of My Sisters' House?
I've been asked to join many boards over the years, but being a trustee is a huge commitment, so it was important to me that I felt truly passionate about the charity's work. As someone with lived experience of violence against women and girls, and who comes from Bognor, My Sisters' House felt like the perfect fit. It means I can use my skills and experience to support a charity that is changing the lives of women in our own community, and that's something I'm really excited to be part of.
What's one thing you're passionate about when it comes to empowering women at work and beyond?
I truly believe that if we give women the right tools, they can empower themselves to change their lives and break generational patterns of domestic abuse. When we give a woman the support and confidence to leave an abusive relationship, she doesn't just change her own life; she changes the lives of her children and future generations too. That's something I'm hugely passionate about.
What makes you most hopeful about the future for women in our community?
I'm hopeful that the more we help women understand that violence and abuse are never something they have to accept, the more they will choose themselves. And as they do, they'll show other women that real change is possible, for themselves and for the generations that follow.