Empowering women to promote REAL change
Together Women Project moves women out of crime into positive futures, working with them in safe, women-only spaces, building resilience and developing strengths that enable them to move away from damaging lifestyles.
Bingley Soroptimists have worked for over a year in partnership with Soroptimists from Bradford, Ilkley and Keighley with the Together Women’s Centre in Bradford. It has been as a result of the joint project between Soroptimist International Great Britain and Ireland and the Prison Reform Trust during 2013-2014. Research gathered through this project highlighted that being imprisoned can have a devastating, long-term effect on women and their families. The small number of women’s prisons also means that many women serve their sentence a long way from their homes, making family contact difficult.
The Together Women Project aims to provide a real alternative to prison and to give assurance that women will complete their court orders and receive the help and support necessary to turn their lives around. Women can refer themselves to the centre, or attend voluntarily as part of their probation supervision, or will be referred to the project via a specified activity requirement of a Community Order.
Working with other agencies across Bradford a sort of one-stop shop has been set up, offering the many different types of support that women need to deal with their often complex situations.
How do we support the Centre?
Over the last year the support members have provided includes:
- visited the centre to learn more about how we can support the vulnerable women
- donated crisis packs for women on release from prison
- donated clothing to New Hall Prison (Wakefield)
- providing Christmas decorations for the hostels
- providing festive goods and pamper items to make up Christmas hampers.