The centre in Caversham provides practical and emotional support to women in the county who are in contact with the criminal justice system; they are serving a community sentence and on probation or have completed a custodial sentence. Around 70% of these women will have experienced abuse at some point in their lives – and for many, their crime will be a direct result of that abuse.
Guests at the event included Berkshire Women’s Aid who gave a ‘healthy relationships’ talk and Jennie Henstridge, Senior Probation officer for West Berkshire Women’s Team.
Jennie said:
Women attending the centre in Caversham were treated to an eye makeup session from beauty editor and makeup artist Joyce Connor.
And artist Rachel Alvarez (@ragineart) held a guided watercolour class, with plants as the focus.
Rachel said:
“Making art makes everything a bit better. Being creative in any form is good for regulating emotions and helping to process feelings.”
The women also had the opportunity to make cards for other women who are an inspiration to them.
Talking of creative outlets…The Through Her Lens photography exhibition, featuring photos taken by women who attend the centre, was on display as part of the IWD celebrations.
The five-week photography workshop was the inspiration of Fiona M, Women’s Centre Co-ordinator for Minerva Thames Valley.
Fiona said:
The event, which ended with a goodie bag for each of the women who attended, got great feedback.
One of the women who attended the event said:
For more information, please contact Tracie Couper, Press Officer at Advance, at tracie.c@advancecharity.org.uk or on 0743 2700 287.
Notes
- 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 – HERE
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 is able to 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
