WayfinderWoman Awarded £465,882 National Lottery Grant
Eastbourne women’s charity WayfinderWoman is entering a new chapter after being awarded a four-year grant of £465,882 from The National Lottery Community Fund.
The funding will strengthen and develop the charity’s support for women in Eastbourne and the surrounding area.
For more than a decade, WayfinderWoman has supported local women. What began in a garage has grown into a charity that has now supported more than 1,000 women.
Expanding Peer Support and Hidden Voices
The new funding will enable WayfinderWoman to develop and expand its Peer Support services, including individual and group Peer Support, as well as grow its Hidden Voices project.
Hidden Voices works to amplify the experiences of women who are often overlooked in existing data and services.
By listening to women and understanding the challenges and barriers they face, the project aims to identify what needs to change and where better support is needed.
Through learning from lived experience, WayfinderWoman hopes to improve services, strengthen community support and give more women opportunities to feel heard, valued, supported and connected.
Founder Laura Murphy said:
“I’m overwhelmed with pride and gratitude as I look at how far WayfinderWoman has come. What began with my simple hope, to build a place where women feel heard, understood and less alone, has grown into an organisation that has already supported so many women.
“This funding means we can reach even more women, continue listening to our community, and create meaningful change.”
Support built around lived experience
WayfinderWoman’s approach is grounded in the belief that lived experience is a strength, with that experience at the heart of its Peer Support service.
Peer Support brings people together to support each other through life’s ups and downs and is built around connection, understanding and shared humanity.
Katie Sutton, CEO of WayfinderWoman, said:
“This funding is a real milestone for WayfinderWoman. It means we can keep showing up for the women who need us, and it's a vote of confidence from the National Lottery Community Fund in our vision.
“It also allows us to grow well. This last year, I've seen how planned growth and change, and the adaptation that has to come with both, are possible for a small, grassroots charity.
“And we're building on something equally important: that the culture we build for the women we support must be the culture we build for our own team. We give women time because we know how valuable and important it is, and we owe our staff and volunteers that same time and care.
“This funding means we can keep giving our people, and our organisation, time, space, and opportunity to thrive.”
WayfinderWoman thanked The National Lottery Community Fund and everyone who has supported the charity over the years, including its volunteers and the women who have trusted the organisation with their experiences.
WayfinderWoman is a women’s charity based in Eastbourne, supporting women through Peer Support and community connection initiatives.
