2015 Cheshire Woman Award

Pat Rice

Pat Rice has lived in Wirral since she was a small child. She was brought up in New Brighton and enjoyed many summers playing on the local beach. Even as a child, Pat had a strong sense of ‘wanting to help’, she would offer to do neighbours shopping and more particularly to walk their dogs.

Once working, in the Civil Service, Pat was still active in the community. In her spare time she volunteered at a children’s home, taking children out on trips and having fun. She was also instrumental in fundraising to buy a guide dog for the visually impaired.

In her early twenties Pat spent three years travelling and working in Australia. Even here she got involved in community work at an Aborigine mission. Back in England, Pat’s work with young people began in earnest, firstly working as a volunteer, then training formally as a Youth and Community worker.

Twenty six years on, Pat is very proud of her contribution to the work of Wirral Youth Service and her personal positive impact on young peoples’ lives. She currently works  as Head of Response, an agency which supports young people in crisis; young people  whose experience of life is far beyond what they should be dealing with at an early age. Vulnerable young people who are homeless, at risk of sexual exploitation, struggling with mental health issues, self-harming and contemplating suicide, struggling with substance abuse and addictions, all of these are in a day’s work for Pat. It is a demanding, challenging and often emotional job, but infinitely rewarding.

Keeping young people safe is a crucial part of Pat’s personal philosophy as well as her job. She ensures the service offered to young people is creative, effective, innovative and responsive. Meaningful, supportive relationships are built, not only with young people but with their families, schools and communities. This creates a consistent presence in the lives of young people and goes a long way towards normalising interaction and trust.

In her downtime Pat enjoys walking with her dog (typically a rescue Labradoodle), camping, travelling and the odd spot of DIY (again, helping her friends out).

Pat believes we all have a part to play in making our communities safe. We all have a role in helping to keep children and young people safe, we all have a role in building up resilience, listening to what young people say and hearing what they tell us.