Shirley Hart

Shirley is a retired Nurse; she did her Nurse Training at Cheltenham General Hospital and at the end of the course she received the prestigious Gold Medal Award for Outstanding Achievement.

Shirley specialised in Intensive Care Nursing and Major Trauma and this skill took her to many hospitals throughout the UK, some of the most demanding being, the Major Injuries Unit at Birmingham Accident Hospital and Dundonald Hospital in Northern Ireland, where Shirley worked for 6 years at the height of the ‘troubles’.

Here, Shirley saw first-hand the impact that war has on families and communities. The physical and mental trauma caused not only to the injured, but to the whole family. The lack of trust in communities, because no one feels safe in an area of conflict.

Shirley travelled a lot throughout her nursing career, working in Cheltenham, Plymouth, Canada, Northern Ireland and then finally settled in Hull, where she worked at Castle Hill Hospital ICU until her retirement.

She then took on Charity Roles. The first charity she was involved with was her husband’s Charity OPSA , a Charity that went to Pakistan and operated on children with Cleft palate deformity. Shirley was the event organiser and treasurer for many years.

Shirley is a Trustee of the Beverley Riding for the Disabled Charity and a Coach, teaching riding to people with disabilities and she is a Trustee of Find, a Charity for young people with severe learning disabilities and autism.

Shirley has 3 children and 5 grandchildren. Her hobbies are playing the flute in an Orchestra and riding horses. She still competes on her horses and has represented England on many an occasion at British Dressage Home International Competitions.

Shirley became involved with Welcome House in 2022 and in 2024 became a Trustee.

Shirley strongly believes that you shouldn’t be defined by your place of birth, your disability, your nationality or your home circumstances. She believes that whatever your situation in life, you must be given the tools and opportunity to achieve.

Shirley is passionate about building a community that welcomes diversity, embraces changes and gives everyone the chance to live a happy and fulfilled life. We all like to feel we ‘belong’ and Welcome House does just that; it helps our Asylum seekers and Refugees feel they belong ,as they start their journey in their new life.