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Alice and the 'house that sat down' rose from the ashes




Author Alice May with her trilogy The House That Sat Down
Author Alice May with her trilogy The House That Sat Down

AS a busy GP practice manager and mother of four, Alice May thought her life was stressful enough. That was until the day she drove into her driveway to find that her house had started to fall down.

Remembering that horrendous moment, Alice explained: “There were two huge cracks in the front and gable walls, and as I watched, a whole corner section of the property started to peel slowly away from the house. I couldn’t believe it.”

The fallout was difficult for Alice and her family to cope with, and for some time they were effectively homeless, living in a tent in their garden.

“A large portion of the house was completely uninhabitable, and we weren’t certain how stable the rest of it was,” Alice told the A&T. “Given that it was quite an old property, any re-build or repair was never going to be straightforward, so we had a massive battle on our hands.

“Added to that, we had nowhere to go. It was the start of the school summer holidays so all local hotels, B&Bs and travel lodges were fully booked, and we didn’t have any family locally to go and stay with. Believe it or not, we ended up in a tent in the back garden.”

Matters were made worse when the couple’s insurers revealed they were not covered for the damage to their New Forest property. This led to protracted and frustrating negotiations, as Alice and her husband fought to find a way to rebuild their home.

Events could have easily left her broken, but amazingly Alice tapped into an inner strength she never knew she had. She has even gone so far as to say the experience has changed her life for the good.

“It was a challenging time,” admitted Alice. “It took us nearly 18 months to rebuild our home and move back in and I struggled with anxiety and depression throughout much of that time.

“But, funnily enough, everywhere I went there was one song playing on the radio, Stronger by Kelly Clarkson. We rebuilt our home and moved back in. We survived and I do feel stronger as a result; although I wouldn’t have believed it was possible at the time.”

When her cottage started to collapse, Alice (46) was working as a manager at a GP surgery. She says: “Working at the surgery was very rewarding but it was also very demanding, and as soon as things started to fall apart at the house, life inevitably got very stressful. Once we had completed the rebuild, I was forced to accept that my work/life balance had to change.”

A chance encounter with the founder of the Successful Women in Business Development Network (SWIB), Gill Donnell (MBE), led to Alice joining the group. Following this, she decided to focus on a more creative career based around her writing and painting.

Alice has totally transformed her life and is now an award-winning author, having written The House That Sat Down trilogy. The books are humorous works of fiction inspired by her experiences.

She has two more novels due for publication later this year, and a thriving schedule of speaking engagements at local clubs and groups where she delivers her inspirational signature presentation, ‘Surviving the House that Sat Down’.

She said: “If you had told me before my house fell down that I would have the confidence to get up and speak in front of so many other people – at one speaking engagement recently it was over 120 – I would never have believed you; it’s been an astonishing journey.”

A huge advocate of the importance of building resilience through self-care in both the work and home environment, Alice was delighted to be offered the role of chairperson of the New Forest group of the SWIB when it launched in September 2018.

Aimed at bringing women together to support and inspire each other, SWIB started in Dorchester and has grown and grown, with groups now established across Devon, Somerset, Dorset and Hampshire.

“It’s truly amazing what you can accomplish in spite of the odds,” said Alice. “And that is why I am so keen to encourage other women to recognise their achievements.

“It’s wonderful to play a small part in helping to encourage people to reach for and achieve their full potential, and I think my story really shows that out of adversity can come strength and hope. I am a great believer now in the power of self-belief and self-care. My books are about redemption, going from darkness to light and moving forward.”

In addition to seeking help from her doctor about her low mood, Alice also turned to her love of art to help her to express how she was feeling. The result was a sequence of intense paintings that illustrate her personal journey out of a very deep pit of despair.

Once she recovered, Alice realised that something inside her had totally changed. “I suddenly had this overwhelming need to write, because I’d always been an avid reader and I realised that I had all the ingredients I needed to tell one hell of a story,” she explained.

“I took that homeless scenario, and also the concept of recovery through art, and I wove them together to write my first novel Accidental Damage – tales from the house that sat down. It is a fictional story, written from a mother’s point of view, and is inspired by what happened to us.”

Alice said she was offered a publishing contract for the first book, but the small print was so incredibly restrictive that she decided to publish it herself.

“I am so glad I did,” she said. “I was absolutely thrilled when it won two Chill with a Book awards. I took a huge leap forward and my personal development has grown immensely.”

The New Forest SWIB group meets on the second Tuesday of the month at Willow Barn Hotel and Restaurant in New Milton. It is a paid membership group that attracts women who already run, or are thinking of setting up, their own business, and there is an opportunity for non-member guests to come along twice to see if the meetings are something that they would benefit from.

“Working for yourself, whether from home or elsewhere, can be quite isolating,” said Alice. “At our meetings you get a chance to connect with like-minded women and also have fun.

“The aim of the group is to create a supportive environment in which local businesswomen can get incredible help and invaluable ideas from each other. Coming from a whole range of backgrounds, we are all learning together and can each bring something unique to our meetings. We call ourselves the #swibtribe.”

At a recent breakfast meeting held in New Milton, the businesswomen present ranged from a former hair salon boss who is creating an upmarket holiday rental company at a farm, a specialist insurance broker, a lady who sells handbags online, a woman who offers crystal healing workshops and someone who has created an online platform offering medical services.

Spelling out her tips for becoming a success, Alice said: “Face the fear, get out of your comfort zone. Conserve your time. Believe you can – this is the hardest one but remember there is not a skill you can’t learn.”



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