SISTER Margaret Ann Arlett took a step into the unknown when she came to Claxton over 11 years ago.

Having lived in a convent for much of her life, it was the first time she would be on her own. She also faced a shift in her vocation. Having just completed an art therapy diploma at Sheffield University, she wanted to use her new skills to help people.

After five months, she moved down the road to Bossall to set up her home as "a safe place for people to come and talk about their problems." She didn't advertise, but received referrals from local churches and art therapists.

Her therapy, carried out on a one-to-one basis, consists initially of four two-hour sessions, split equally between painting and talking. The first thing she points out is that artistic ability doesn't matter. "It's not about making pretty pictures but simply making marks on paper, from which issues can then be explored. Once an image has been made, we look at the thoughts and feelings surrounding that image."

Margaret Ann believes art is a way of helping people open up, giving them a basis from which to explain their feelings. "It really works and I've seen some incredible results," she says. Once the four sessions have been completed, giving the patient a proper chance to open up, a decision is made as to whether further therapy would be beneficial. Some patients have been with her for up to three years.

Faith is an essential part of Margaret Ann's life but it is not something she wishes to impose on patients. However, she admits that some people have questions of a religious nature. "When people come to me I am there as a therapist. But sometimes after a time, people might ask me for help with their prayers or ask for advice on what to read." Though she is happy to share her faith, she would never "ram it down people's throats."

Much of Margaret Ann's conviction comes from a life-changing experience she had at the age of seven. On a fishing trip with her father, she found herself alone in a meadow, when she was overwhelmed by a warm feeling. "I felt very loved and knew God had touched me. At that moment, I promised to dedicate my life to him."

Having grown in up a Christian family in Essex, she toyed with the idea of becoming a missionary in her teens. Instead, her early adult life was spent working in a Dr Banardo'schildren's home.

A trip to a convent in West Yorkshire had a lasting impression on her and set her thinking about becoming a nun. "The beautiful chapel and gardens, the incense and the dark-clad figures had a real effect on me," she says. In 1965, at the age of 24, Margaret Ann was accepted into the Convent of St Peter at Horbury in West Yorkshire. "I knew it was right. It felt like my home and I never doubted what I was doing."

Whilst leading a life of devotion to God - which included getting up at 5am on a daily basis for prayer - Margaret Ann's life as a nun also involved helping those in need. She has worked at a school for maladjusted girls and at a hostel for people with mental health problems.

Since moving to Bossall, 60-year-old Margaret Ann has been very active within the community. She visits the sick and the elderly, takes school assemblies and gives services in churches within the parish.

She has also become known in Ryedale through her public speaking engagements, giving talks to a range of groups, from Women's Institutes and Mother's Unions to professional business women. It is something she enjoys doing - "I'm a great lover of people," she says - and regularly gets asked back to speak again.

Margaret Ann's step into the unknown back in 1991 appears to have been a real success. And she puts it down to her faith. "I am a still a sister first and foremost. I lived the ordered life for 26 years and it's still very important to me. Without it, I could never do what I do."

Updated: 09:59 Wednesday, September 04, 2002