Below are some comments received by Victim Support Scotland from victims and witnesses who have used our services:
"I can't thank you enough...and the way you looked after me through the six weeks of the trial. I thank all your staff with all of my heart." - Victim (South Lanarkshire)
"The Victim Support Scotland staff member helped me understand the feelings of insecurity and vulnerability that I was finding hard to deal with and I am very grateful." - Victim (Aberdeen)
"I was helped immensely. Victim support Scotland helped me with everything I needed. I feel like I made friends." - Victim (Renfrewshire)
"The Victim Support Scotland worker was very helpful and made me feel a lot calmer. She knew exactly how I was feeling without me having to tell her. Thanks." - Witness (Glasgow)
"You all made a big difference to a traumatic day. Speaking for all my family who were involved in witness statements, they feel the same. Hopefully your good work does not go unnoticed." - Witness (Ayr)
"I would never have got this far without you. I just hope you keep going with your work. You are brilliant." - Victim (Renfrewshire)
"Without the help of Victim Support Scotland I couldn't have done the things I'm doing now. I've stopped blaming myself." - Victim (South Lanarkshire)
"I wish to thank your worker for the support she gave me after an assault. She helped me understand the feelings of insecurity and vulnerability that I was finding hard to deal with and I am very grateful." - Victim (Aberdeen)
"You were very helpful - put the whole family at ease. With your help, it wasn't as bad as we thought it would be." - Witness (Dumfries)
"We could not have been given more assistance, courtesy or respect. Thank you for your customer service, which is second to none." - Witness
"I would like to thank your staff who helped my family through a traumatic time at court. They were truly helpful and sympathetic. The staff who were on court duty that day showed compassion and professionalism to the needs of the witnesses and were a real help. Our heartfelt thanks." - Victim and Witness
"Thank you for not judging me." - Victim
"I would like to thank your service very much for their kind words and help last week. It helped to put us at ease." - Witness
"I am grateful for the offer of support, and whilst on this occasion I do not need to tke advantage of the offer, it is reassuring to know that an organisation like yours exists to help the victims of crime." - Victim
"Thanks for the help and support your organisation gave us. Having someone to talk to was invaluable. Please pass on our thanks to your staff member who visited us so soon after the incident and phoned regularly, offering a listening ear." - Victim
"I hasten to thank you so much for the information I received today. It is most gratifying to know that someone, somewhere takes a prompt and understanding interest." - Victim
"You've been nothing less than 100% any time we've phoned you or you have been here." - Witness
"Thank you for taking the time to listen. I feel a lot better having voiced how difficult life has been for some time. Thank you again for giving me the space to do that." - Victim
"Sincere thanks for all your help, kindness and support given to myself and my family during a very distressful week." - Witness
"Thank you doesn't seem to be enough to say for what you have done to make today easier for me. I have been terrified of coming up to court, and you have made such a difference. Just to hear a friendly voice on the phone and to know that you were there to help me today - and all I am able to do is say thank you. You are very special people." - Victim
"You're someone who has a special way of putting others first." - Victim
"I wanted to thank you for the service you offer. It is only when something like this comes to your own door you realise just how valuable a service like yours is." - Witness
"Thank you for your help over the last few months. I couldn't have got through it without you. I feel I can finally move on." - Victim
"The best part of the VOYCE service was being able to convey to the young offender the impact of what he did to me, my staff and other members of the public." - Victim
"I was very pleased with the service provided by VOYCE." - Victim
"I found your service a good way to channel my feelings regarding crime to an individual who really understood the impact it had on me and my family. Good to know that someone cares." - Victim
"I have been very impressed with your service. Your people are well informed and conduct themselves professionally. Your VOYCE service does give you a voice at a time when it really helps." - Victim
"I am so grateful to Victim Support for linking me with one of your volunteers. It has been so comforting to know someone is at the end of a telephone. I can say with confidence that my experience with Victim Support Scotland has been excellent. Carry on with the good work." - Victim
"I was very pleased with the Witness Service and the visit to court helped me a great deal, as it made me a lot calmer for the court case. I think everything was fantastic and the service was second to none." - Witness (Airdrie)
"As the mother of a son who has recently been through the ordeal of going to the High Court as the complainer of a serious assault, I feel compelled to express my gratitude for the excellent service you provide. From the outset, we felt confident that any worries or queries would be answered. All the staff we met through the Witness Service were very informative and considerate to my son's circumstances, but above all, friendly and approachable. Special thanks go to you for making sure all my son's worries were curbed and all his needs dealt with. Your understanding of what my son would be facing and how he would be feeling, and ensuring he completely understood the court process is a fantastic skill which we truly appreciate. I feel it is important that excellent service should be highlighted. I can honestly say that the Witness Service made what was a frightening time for us all a much more pallatable experience. The knowledge, support and reassurance provided by your service was invaluable. We would not have gotten through this so easily if it were not for the Witness Service. Please be ensured the service you provide is greatly appreciated." - Mother of Witness (Dundee)
"I am writing to thank you for your help and support when I attended as a witness at the High Court in Edinburgh. I was extremely nervous and anxious about attending the court as a witness. The lady from Victim Support Scotland that I saw when I first arrived on the Thursday morning was really helpful and answered all my questions without me feeling they were silly. She also explained the court set-up and the process that I would follow once called and what might happen while I was at court. To be honest this made my court experience much easier to deal with and allayed a lot of my fears and anxiety as I had never attended or been in a court before. There were a couple of other people that popped in and out and it was nice to know there was always someone to speak to. Thanks for all your help and support it was much appreciated and made the experience easier, though of course I hope not to be back soon, if at all." - Witness
"Having been required to attend court as a witness yesterday i am compelled to write to praise the work of the Witness Service. Your volunteer looked after my husband and I on what was a very difficult day for us. Thank you for your help and support. It was invaluable." - Witness
Below are some letters received by pupils from Kemnay Primary School, winners of the Schools Public Speaking Competition 2008, who attended Victim Support Scotland's Annual General Meeting in September:
"I am writing to say thank you for giving me and my friends the opportunity to visit the Scottish Parliament and perform our famous rap! The day was very enjoyable - especially the fun, yet busy, train journey. The food served was really yummy, i loved the pineapple slices! I would also like to say thank you for the £30 book token which I intend to spend this weekend. We got to Edinburgh earlier than expected therefore we had time to visit a fudge shop. We got to try a sample of vanilla fudge and watch it being made! After we had performed our rap we paid a visit to a childhood museum which was full of old toys, dolls and old-fashioned penny machines. Once again thank you for such a wonderful experience!"
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for inviting me to the Victim Support Scotland AGM at the Parliament. A special thank you for the £30 of book vouchers. I hope to buy lots of books. Thank you."
"I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you for inviting us to perform our rap. It was very enjoyable and the building was beautiful. I am also very grateful for the £30 book tokens you generously gave us. I am sure we will all enjoy spending them, well I know I will! I enjoyed the journey and I hope to see you again next year when we are hopefully winning again! Before we came we went to the Fudge Shop and we got to watch fudge being made! After performing our rap we went to the Childhood museum - it was really interesting. Thank you again for all of your kindness."
"I am writing to thank you for inviting my classmates and I to the Parliament. The whole experience was extremely enjoyable, and the food was delicious! Monday the 26th was a very different day, especially going to a fudge kitchen on the way from the train station! The book vouchers were very generous, and I've already spent some of them. Although I was nervous waiting to do the rap, when I actually did it, I was excited! The train to Edinburgh was very quiet, which is the opposite of the train coming back. I had to stand all the way to Dundee. Once again I thank you for the experience."
"I would like to thank you very much for giving me and my classmates the opportunity to visit the scottish parliament and for me to go on a train. I would also like to thank you for the £30 book vouchers. I really appreciate the vouchers because I like to read a lot. Monday was a very exciting day for me because I'm not normally that far away from Kemnay with the school. Many thanks."
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the book tokens and the chance to visit the scottish parliament as it was a once in a lifetime visit. We also got to visit the Fudge Kitchen and childrens museum which was wonderful. I will hopefully get to spend the book vouchers this weekend also which I will enjoy. Many thanks for making us so aware of the victim support program too."
"Thank you very much for the gift you gave us for doing the rap. It was very kind and is very much appreciated. I am happy to come down anytime and do it again for victim support! Once again, I would like to say thank you and I hope for the best in the future."
"Thank you so much for your generous hospitality to our pupils last week. They had a wonderful day, fitting in some sight-seeing and a few treats too. It was enormously kind of you to give the children vouchers. They were absolutely delighted and couldn't wait to find a book shop. The children and their families appreciate the marvellous opportunity you provided. Sincere thanks and very best wishes."
Below are letters received from the schools who won the 2009 Schools Public Speaking Competition:
"On behalf of everyone within the Belmont Academy community, I would like to relay our thanks to Victim Support Scotland for their organisation of the national inter school debating competition and of course for the most handsome prize of £10,000 jointly sponsored by Bank of Scotland Corporate and Reliance Security Group, which Ross and Andrew won and which has now arrived in the school. for all of us the work of VSS is crucial and we look forward to representation from VSS playing an active part in our Personal and Social Education programme next session." - Head Teacher, Belmont Academy
"Thank you so much for both the huge cheque and your kind words of congratulations. As you can imagine, the event itself and the success the team enjoyed has generated a big buzz at the school and indeed in the community. Charlotte and James are enjoying their 'celebrity' status and all of us are enjoying putting together our 'wish lists' for the amazing wealth we now possess!" - Head Teacher, Lochnell Primary School
