Meet our Board
Sophia Norley, HH Global Board, UK Board
Hi my name is Sophia Norley and I am so honored to be involved with Hopefull Handbags. I know first hand how needed domestic abuse services are, not just here in the UK but globally. Women and children around the world need support and the hope to push through another perilous day, until they reach their dreams and delights.
I first became involved with Hopefull Handbags when I began to write for the charity in 2021, creating blog posts, newsletters and articles on the subject of domestic abuse. I narrated survivors’ stories which were shared with an audience throughout the world, in a bid to bring a wider awareness of this horrendous crime that is committed on a daily basis.
I continue to write for Hopefull Handbags and it is a pastime that fills me with a joy that overflows and at the same time fills me with a burning fire, as I discover more disturbing facts about the lives of those who have and still are being tortured by another human being.
When I was asked to be on the Board, here in the UK I was totally overcome with gratitude and fear, as it is a huge responsibility to guide this charity onward to awaiting adventures and growth. I see Hopefull Handbags becoming one of the foremost domestic abuse charities in the world, with the capacity to support, guide and encourage millions of women and children. I know this is possible because the individual passion that each volunteer has is immense and when combined it’s a superpower.
When I am not working with Hopefull Handbags, my full-time employment is within the local government. I spend my working day working with families who need support. I work a lot in the area of childrens safeguarding, whether it is domestic violence related or around the areas of neglect. Each day is extremely varied and allows me to use all my skills and knowledge in the area of protection.
Not one to spend my time idly and as a creative who has a mind full of ideas and visions. I am also a best selling author, publishing my memoir Escaping Bohemia, in 2020. It tells the story of my young life in a home full of abuse and shame and ultimately how I overcame it. I am also a photographer and have won awards for my portrait photography, for which I am extremely proud, particularly as one of the images is of my own daughter. I consider myself a Creative Storyteller-whether by photography or the written word, I like to take my viewer/reader on a journey.
I love learning and growing and try very hard to allow my intrigue in different subjects to lead me down different unknown paths. This has given me over the last few years a A* in GCSE English-because I had to prove to myself that I could write! A Level 2 in counseling because sharing knowledge and helping others, is how we make the world a better place and qualifications in subjects such as Art Therapy, natural medicines and many more. Yep, I’m one of those people who find nearly everything interesting.
Personally, my life is filled with two wonderful daughters who are going to take the world by storm and fill me with unmeasurable pride each and every day. We have had some amazing highs together which have been engulfed, only at times, by the domestic abuse and control that we suffered at the hands of my husband. We are still fighting the fight, at the time of this writing, to break the bonds that allow him to still have control. Our day is coming!
You can join me on my journey and grab a copy of my memoir here.
Drop me a message, I would love to connect.
“True connection in a totally unconnected world is what we need now, more than ever”. Sophia