Cherry’s late father had hoarding behaviours, so she has lived experiences of growing up in a stressful home with too much stuff and a controlling parent.
It wasn’t until Cherry studied to become a Professional Organiser that she realised what probably caused her father’s controlling behaviours and hoarding tendencies (he was probably on the Autism Spectrum and had experienced Adverse Childhood Experiences – ACEs – as a child during WW2). This lack of understand when she was younger lead to her having mental health problems, a difficult relationship with her Dad and relationship issues with partners too.
It’s a familiar story that she hears about a lot from family members affected by a relative’s hoarding behaviours. She can also understand the anxiety and frustration that grown-up children have about creating a safe home for loved ones if they’ve been in hospital, have Dementia (which is what she had to do for her Dad), or when they have to clear the family home of 50 years worth of clutter when the person dies.
Cherry related to many of the difficulties that her clients experienced (such as dealing with numbers, forgetting what she was saying in the middle of a sentence, starting but not finishing projects) and went on to receive a diagnosis of ADHD in 2019 (aged 56).
It’s no accident that Cherry is a:
- Trustee of the Fastminds ADHD Support Group in Kingston-upon-Thames
- Member of the Surrey Multi-Agency Hoarding Taskforce
- proud to be training the next generation of Professional Hoarding Practitioners
- proud to have been asked to contribute to the acclaimed book “Understanding Hoarding” by her friend and training colleague Jo Cooke of Hoarding Disorders UK CIC
- Dementia Friend
- Member of the National Fire Chief’s Council’s Hoarding Working Group (formerly known as the Chief Fire Officers Association’s Hoarding Working Group).
- Cherry and Heather Matuozzo of Clouds End CIC (the first social enterprise in the UK dedicated to supporting people with hoarding behaviours) helped organised the first ever UK Hoarding Awareness Week in 2014 which was launched by CFOA at the Houses of Parliament in London.
Hoarding Ice-Breaker Form 