Chichester charity Pregnancy Options has set up a new satellite service in Portsmouth

Chichester based charity, Pregnancy Options Centre, is growing and extending its service across the County border and into Portsmouth. A new satellite service has been launched in Portsmouth, employing a new member of staff to head up the service, taking the Options team of staff to a total of four.
By Naomi FareyContributor
Published 15th Mar 2023, 11:35 BST
Updated 15th Mar 2023, 11:36 BST

The Centre’s crucial support now covers Emsworth, Havant, Waterlooville, Hayling Island, Portsmouth and the surrounding areas, where previously no other such service has existed.

Pregnancy Options Centre offer free, non-directive help and support to anyone facing unplanned pregnancy. They give clients a safe space to explore their thoughts and feelings with a non-judgemental volunteer practitioner and to discuss each of the options available to them – abortion, adoption or parenting. They also help those struggling after a pregnancy loss or an abortion. A recent unplanned pregnancy client said this about the support they received: “Thank you so much for this service! Everything has just felt in such a muddle in my head and this has helped me see it more clearly.”

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Siobhan Butt, the charity’s new Satellite Coordinator and Counselling Lead is going to be managing the service in Portsmouth. Her role will involve networking, developing and managing key connections for Pregnancy Options Centre within the Portsmouth area. In Chichester the service receives referrals from GP’s, Midwives, NHS talking therapies and other local professionals, including the voluntary sector, which they are key to recreate in Portsmouth. Siobhan is a registered member of the BACP and a qualified relationships counsellor who also runs Revive Relationships, a private practice that provides counselling for both couples and individuals. Her knowledge and skills will be an asset to the team as she manages the charity’s volunteers in Portsmouth.

Siobhan has said about the new role - “I am really happy to be able to use my training and skills to serve the people of Portsmouth and the surrounding area who have experienced pregnancy crisis or pregnancy loss. I believe it is a valuable service the charity offers.”

The charity was originally founded in 1997 by Anne Lake who said her motivation was to provide: “A safe place for women to explore all the aspects of difficult [pregnancy related] decisions.” Since then, the charity has grown hugely, and now has a team of 12 volunteers providing counselling support. During this time the charity has also hired an Education Manager who delivers their Relationship and Sex Education sessions within schools and youth settings in the Chichester and Arun areas. In the 21/22 academic year, these sessions reached over 2,400 young people teaching them about healthy relationships, sexual health, puberty, the dangers of pornography, the pregnancy timeline and the three Options of an unplanned pregnancy: abortion, adoption or parenting.

2023 is certainly set to be an exciting year for the charity. If you would like to support Options or find out more about the services they offer, please head to their website pregnancyoptionscentre.org.uk for more details. If you would like to make a one-off donation to the charity you can text OPTIONSCHI (followed by the amount) to 70460.

Related topics:PortsmouthMidwives