Today we are featuring our Finalists in the Woman Who… Awards Community Category. Each of our Finalists do something special for the Coventry & Warwickshire Community.
“Vikie Shanks has managed to bring-up seven lovely children and, somehow, remain upbeat
and positive about life, despite having to deal with severe problems such as marital abuse, suicide, bankruptcy, and being a single parent. She is a strong and intelligent woman, now trying to help others.
- Vikie Shanks has led an extraordinary life.
- Born in Yemen in 1958.
- She is mother to six girls and one boy between the ages of 13 and 23.
- Six of her children have autism and one is dyslexic. The two youngest have cerebral palsy.
- Vikie’s husband, Paul, suffered from severe depression and committed suicide in 2007.
- Vickie endured many years living in an abusive relationship with Paul. Vikie’s father was physically abusive.
- She was left with a massive mortgage and very little income when Paul died.
- Vikie has been a buyer for Harrods, a croupier and a model.
- Her home is now being blighted by the plans of the government to build HS2 (she lives about 130 metres from the route of the track) and is now unsellable, but Vikie can now not afford the mortgage.
- The stress, uncertainty and instability caused by HS2 is an especially terrible ordeal for anyone with autism to bear. People with autism do not handle any form of change and/or uncertainty well.
Vikie has set-up an Autism Support Group and within three weeks has had 80 people seeking support, where none previously existed.”
Congratulations to Vikie on being a Finalist in the Woman Who…Gives back to the Community Category.
Come along and support our Finalists at our Awards Lunch on Friday 15th April.
Photographs by Linda Scannell Photography