Excellent women

Ursula Myrie knows what it is to survive abuse.

GROWING UP IN THE 1980s, Ursula Myrie was placed in a home in Croydon that became notorious for its links with paedophiles. In the 1990s she was relocated to Sheffield to escape domestic abuse, and it’s there, in 2012, that she set up Adira (meaning strong, dignified and powerful), a mental health and wellbeing organisation aimed specifically at supporting the black community.

“Adira was born out of my pain, my trauma and my lived experience,” she says. “I wanted a safe haven for the black community, so that the first person you see is someone who looks like you, who understands your culture, your religion, your faith.”

Earlier this year, Ursula also pioneered a

Food Pharmacy, recognising that accessing food banks can be culturally challenging. During lockdown they fed 4,000 people, and provided meals for two women’s refuges and a halfway house.

Hear more of Ursula’s story on the ‘The Hungry Gap’ episode of Who Feeds Us podcast at farmerama. co.adira.org.uk