The Advance Women’s Centre is a safe space in the community for women to come together and share, inspire and empower each other in the same space that Advance started its journey 25 years ago.
Advance was joined by Emma Apthorp, Mayor of Hammersmith and Fulham, who said:
“It’s wonderful to see a new purpose-built women’s centre in Hammersmith. The work Advance do is vital, and funding Women’s Centres is essential for facilitating the work. After visiting I’m feeling hopeful for a world where all women have access to safety and support all year round.”
Through its national network of Women’s Centres, Advance delivers holistic, trauma-informed, specialist support and advocacy, and group interventions for women who have experienced domestic abuse or are in contact with the criminal justice system.
Advance’s eight Women’s Centres across London, the South and East of England, provide safe spaces in local communities both in person and virtually, responding to women and children’s diverse needs.
Frances Rahman, Head of Criminal Justice Services at Advance, said:
“The opening of our new purpose-built Hammersmith Women’s Centre has given us the opportunity to enhance our offer to women, young women and children accessing Advance’s services. In addition to emotional support, our Women’s Centres provide practical help and amenities such as computers, washing machines, showers, and clothes and essentials donations from our pop-up ‘shop’. At Advance we engage with those accessing our services, as well as our volunteers and staff, to provide relevant and meaningful support that meets the needs of the women and girls in our community”.
A woman supported by Advance said:
“[I] love the feel and calm atmosphere of the new women’s centre.”
Niki Scordi, CEO of Advance, said:
“We are delighted to be expanding our support for women and girls in the 25th year of Advance, especially in Hammersmith, our place where we started. We are proud to offer individually tailored services to support increasingly disadvantaged women and provide them with a safe space emotionally and physically. Consistent investment and commitment in services like ours is necessary in ensuring safe and just world for women and girls.”
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For all press enquiries, please contact:
Emma Walker, Press Officer at Advance
E: press@advancecharity.org.uk
Notes to editors
- Advance offers women holistic, consistent support, meeting their individual needs over a longer period, empowering them to break the cycle of re-offending and preventing the breakdown of families. Women can refer themselves to our services, as well as be referred by the police, probation, statutory agencies, and other voluntary organisations.
- Advance’s specialist advocates work in partnership with 11 local and national women’s service providers, alongside statutory services to provide services within women’s communities across the 6 regions of Hampshire, Kent, Thames Valley, Essex, Hertfordshire, and Bedfordshire.
- Through our woman-centred approach, we aim to prevent the cycle of re-offending, tackling issues such as lack of consistent housing and homelessness, domestic abuse and sexual violence, mental health, emotional well-being, parenting and family relationships, education training and employment, finance, benefits, and debt.
- 53% of women in prison report having experienced emotional, physical, or sexual abuse as a child compared to 22% of men.
- 72% of women who entered prison in 2020 have committed a non-violent offence.
- 57% of women in prison and under community supervision report being victims of domestic abuse. The true figure is likely higher, as many women fear disclosing abuse.
- 50% of women, compared to 22% of men, have reported that they offended to support someone else’s drug use.
- Read more in Advance’s report – A Strange Empty Place
About Advance
- Advance’s vision is a world in which women and children lead safe, equal, violence-free lives so that they can flourish and actively contribute to society. The charity works with women who experience domestic abuse to be safe and take control of their lives, and women who have committed crime or are at risk of offending to break the cycle.
- As well as providing direct support, Advance works with statutory services, government agencies and other women’s charities to ensure a holistic approach to the issues these women face.
- Women must be referred to Advance, via statutory services or the charity’s self-referral scheme. For more information about who Advance can support, please visit Get Help
- For facts and statistics about domestic abuse and women in the criminal justice system, as well as Advance’s work, please visit Our Impact
