Smith Partnership volunteers at Leicester Contact Centre

Press Releases

Four dedicated members of staff from Smith Partnership Solicitors recently volunteered to assist the Leicester Family Contact Centre with its move from Holy Trinity Church to new premises at St Martin’s House in Leicester City Centre.

The Leicester Family Contact Centre is an independent charity, run by volunteers, who aim to provide a safe and neutral venue where children can have contact with parents and other family members whom they find themselves separated from, following a family breakdown.

Deepa Tanna, Bina Modi, Sam Heatherley and Sarika Parmar went to the new Contact Centre on ‘moving day’ and helped to off load boxes and move equipment, in readiness for the opening of the Centre on 10th September 2011.

Deepa Tanna, Family Solicitor at Smith Partnership said, “It was abundantly clear from discussions with some of the volunteers that they were driven by the Contact Centre’s objective, to ‘bring children and parents together’”.

One volunteer who has been working at the Contact Centre for 22 years said, “It is very rewarding to see a child meeting their mum or dad, and then to see their relationship develop and grow so that they are able to leave the Contact Centre and move on, this really does make it all worthwhile and makes you realise how important the service provided by the Contact Centre really is”.

Deepa said, “In current times, when young people are getting a lot of negative press, it was refreshing to be told that some teenagers are also volunteers at the Contact Centre and give up their time during weekends to help out under supervision”.

The Smith Partnership team also took part in a role play exercise, pretending to be parents and children coming and going from the Contact Centre, asking to use various facilities – it is amazing how many times a child can need the toilet in one hour! This was followed by a ‘trouble-shooting’ discussion to identify any safety issues or practical difficulties which had arisen, so that appropriate procedures could be put in place to ensure the Contact Centre runs as safely and smoothly as possible.

The Contact Centre is a charity organisation. For further information on how to volunteer or to make a donation, please contact Melanie Carter (Co-ordinator) on 0116 233 1849 or email leicester.contactcentre@ntlworld.com.