Her-Place celebrates year of growing impact for women and girls

A charity supporting women and girls has celebrated a landmark year of growth and impact at its annual general meeting.

Her-Place Charitable Trust brought together supporters, trustees, volunteers and guests for its AGM, reflecting on a year which has seen hundreds of local women and young people access support, wellbeing activities, practical help and opportunities to have their voices heard.

Among those attending were long-standing Patron Sir John Timpson, High Sheriff of Cheshire Lynn Pegler, Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Cheshire Susan Sellers DL, Cheshire East Mayor Judy Snowball and Crewe Town Mayor Stuart Mackay.

The AGM was staged at the charity’s new Crewe town centre facility and attendees also included businesses that supported the transformation of the former Tui shop into a welcoming space where women, girls and families can access support, advice and activities all under one roof.

Its opening In September was a highlight of the year, charity founder Kate Blakemore told the meeting, and came at a time when demand for services was growing.

She said: “I founded this charity with a belief that every woman and girl deserves to feel supported, valued and empowered.

“This year we supported 837 women and 567 young people, offered 737 counselling services and distributed 2,299 essential items through our community share hub.

“Whilst I’m proud of these numbers, it’s important to remember that behind every statistic is a person, a story and a life that matters.”

Sir John said the charity’s work to support Crewe and local families was ‘dear to his heart’.

His wife Alex had been a Home Start volunteer in Crewe and together they fostered 90 children, many from the Crewe area. In 2027 he will mark 10 years as a Patron.

One area where Her-Place is making great strides is through its Believe-in-Her project that supports mothers caught up in the court system and at risk of child removal often as a result of an abusive relationship.

The charity has commissioned a powerful film, The Tide, challenging assumptions and encouraging professionals to see the realities women experience.

So far it has been has been watched by more than 10,000 people and rolled out nationally as part of professional training for barristers.

Meanwhile the charity continues to run its hugely popular Share Hub at Beech Drive, Wistaston – its home for the past decade.

Over the year it has provided 2,299 recycled items to local people, including school uniforms, baby essentials, football boots, prom dresses, winter coats, bras, sanitary products and hygiene items.

This has prevented 900kg of textile waste going to landfill.

The charity’s newly published Impact Report for 2025-26 also reveals the scale of its work across the local community including support for bereaved mums, creating safe public spaces for young women and breaking down barriers in sport.

Its research has helped inform the design of Crewe’s new town-centre park, including features aiming to make the space more welcoming and inclusive.

Various wellbeing groups were attended by 540 women, an area where the charity is expanding with the new Crewe base hosting social evenings such as quiz nights, creative activities and community meet-ups to help local women develop new skills and build friendships.

Meanwhile, the Community Launderette at Her-Place Winsford was used 438 times, providing free washing and drying facilities helping to remove financial barriers for local people.

Her-Place Chair Dr Diane Wright said the charity’s contribution was significant at a time when funding streams were being reduced and charities were facing higher operating costs.

“High inflation has reduced the real value of the donations we receive – and unfortunately only 1.8% of total UK charitable funding is directed towards women and girl’s organisations, she said.

“Government funding processes tend to favour larger corporate charities while more than half of women’s charities are small, with fewer than 10 employees like our own.

“We continue to apply for small pots of funding but competition is intense.”

The charity’s work is supported by a team of 65 volunteers who have provided 1,960 volunteer hours and overall it has achieved a rateable value of £46,000, the impact 2025-26 report records.

To support the Her-Place mission email kate@her-place.co.uk