Adele Helm, Centre Manager at Lancashire Women, talks to Donr Spotlight this week about her charity’s work with thousands of women across the north-west of England.
Back in 1982, a group of women connected with the local Labour Party were keen to raise awareness of, and seek to tackle, high infant mortality rates in the north-western town of Blackburn. After three years of hard work, campaigning and fundraising, the first Lancashire Women Centre opened its doors to visitors in 1985.
Fast-forward 34 years and the present day now finds the charity working across multiple locations in the North-West, promoting mental health and emotional wellbeing, providing financial advice, employment support and guidance, and working with women who are in the criminal justice system.
‘Our core principles remain the same,’ explains Adele. ‘Our network of centres provides a safe space which is run by and for women and which works to foster health and wellbeing in a person-centred and holistic way.
‘Our vision is that we have a Lancashire where all women and girls are valued and treated as equals, to empower them to transform their lives.’
The charity is certainly making good progress towards that vision. Last year, it supported more than 6,500 women across its local region and received some glowing praise from a number of those women: ‘It was just nice to get out and have somewhere to go and try something new,’ said one regular attendee of one of the charity’s centres. ‘The time just flies by and, every week, I was so glad I had gone.’
‘I learnt so many easy things that I could do to stop myself worrying and deal with life, I felt happier and less afraid,’ said another.
Lancashire Women has recently signed up to work with Donr and the funds it hopes to raise via our Text Giving service will be used to ‘fund our centres across the county, helping to make them a welcoming, warm and safe space to support all women who access our services,’ says Adele.
‘[And] providing all the little extras a woman may need to improve their life — it may be a mentor spending time with them, supporting them filling in paperwork, to providing a food parcel and emergency toiletries to a woman in need.’
If you’d like to help Lancashire Women continue to help the women of the North West, please text ‘DONATE 10’ to 70085 to donate £10*.
More information can be found on the charity and its work by visiting the organisation’s website or by searching ‘Lancashire Women’ on Facebook or Twitter.
*Other amounts that can be donated are: £1, £2, £3, £4, £5, £6, £7, £8, £9, £11, £12, £13, £14, £15, £16, £17, £18, £19 or £20. Texts cost the donation amount plus one standard network rate message.
