Eastlight Stories launches in memory of Hattie Llewelyn-Davies

What does home make possible? That was a question at the heart of Hattie Llewelyn-Davies’ vision for Eastlight.

Before her sudden death in May this year, Hattie had been thinking about how she wanted her legacy at Eastlight to be marked. She wanted us to create a “social history of Eastlight residents’ lives”, capturing their experiences, where they have come from and what home has made possible for them.

Hattie was due to stand down this autumn, at the end of her maximum term with the organisation. She believed passionately that residents’ voices should be at the heart of Eastlight. She wanted people with lived experience to have a meaningful role in shaping the organisation and believed that understanding residents’ lives was fundamental to understanding what housing really means.

Eastlight Stories brings that belief to life. 

Across five episodes, Eastlight residents share their stories in their own words. Through a combination of short films and podcast conversations, they talk about their lives, the experiences that have shaped them, their homes and the difference that having a secure home has made. 

Episode 1: Bobbie Town

The series begins with Bobbie Town, who lives in Halstead. Bobbie moved into her Eastlight home a couple of years ago following a period of homelessness. It was a difficult and uncertain time, when she did not know what the future would hold. 

Since moving into her Eastlight home, Bobbie has begun to put down roots in her community and found comfort in having a safe and secure place of her own. 

Her story is about rebuilding, finding stability and moving forward. It is exactly the kind of story Hattie wanted to preserve.

Five stories. One legacy.

Over the next four Fridays, Eastlight Stories will introduce four more residents and their experiences.

• 18 September – Richard and Rosemarie Bessey: Their story explores love, caring, resilience and the importance of having a home filled with familiarity and memories.
• 25 September – Govin and Rama Mouttoucoumarane: Their story explores accessibility, independence, community and the importance of having a home that genuinely meets your needs.
• 2 October – Jo Jones: Jo shares her experience of starting again after homelessness, building a life in her community and using her voice to influence Eastlight’s services.
• 9 October – Rue Garande: Rue talks about finding safety and security for herself and her daughter after domestic abuse, and about using her experience to make sure residents’ voices are heard. 

Together, these stories create the social history Hattie wanted to see – a record of the people who make up Eastlight and the lives they are building around their homes.

Hattie’s career was shaped by a deep belief in fairness, dignity and lived experience. At Eastlight, she helped create an organisation where residents’ voices could influence decisions, services and the way the organisation thinks.

She wanted Eastlight Stories to capture something that cannot be found in statistics or performance reports: the human experience of having a home.

This series is dedicated to her memory. It is a fulfilment of her wish. And, most importantly, it puts residents’ voices exactly where Hattie believed they belonged – at the heart of Eastlight.