Inspire Women

Inspire Women

I recently had the great pleasure of visiting the space ‘lived in’ by Inspire Women, in the centre of Oldham and to share a brew with Sally Bonnie, founder of the project.

“Our journey began in 2007 when a woman began her search for herself and her community. By 2012 she had connected with many women who were searching for a different way to live their lives. We made a commitment to work together, share our gifts, and give back to other women and the community.

We’ve never given up, with passion and determination at the heart of everything we did.

2015 was life changing.  The Lottery launched the Women and Girls Fund.  We felt like we had won the Lottery when we were awarded £250,000, and the start of another amazing journey began. Inspire has created and facilitates a beautiful Women’s Centre in the heart of Oldham town centre, our work being recognised locally in the Pride in Oldham Awards, and nationally through the Women in Housing Awards. The Centre is open to all women aged over 16 and who live in Oldham, women organising themselves around their awakening gifts, passion and emerging purpose.

We focus on what is present, not what is absent in women; we facilitate, creating opportunities for connection in a beautiful welcoming space. A space that is based on kindness, compassion and equality of power with humility at its heart. We see the wholeness and potential in women, not what is broken and it is from this space that we begin our connection.

In this space women have re-discovered their voice, changed their language, become equal, free to pursue ideas, to shape and re-shape, to co-produce the organisation. We have pioneered an approach and a model that has both nurtured and empowered women to develop, establish and run a Centre where all Facilitators were once Members.

This is the “Inspire” way and we hope that we can Inspire you to write a different story too.”

Maryanne’s Story

“When I joined I was depressed and didn’t like to go out or interact with people apart from my children. I withdrew from friends and hid my emotions from family. I went into my own world where everything wasn’t pretty or nice.

Inspire has helped me find myself and given me a purpose. Inspire helped me change the way I see challenges. Inspire has taught me that even though I still have the same challenges or problems, it’s the way I deal with them that changes the narrative from negative to positive.  My journey from Member to Associate has been an incredible one.

I look forward to helping more women change their outlook on life and the challenges that come with it. I hope to continue to help empower women with the confidence they need to speak their truth and become whatever they want to. I also hope to continue to grow and evolve as a woman and a mother.

I also hope to see Inspire grow into other communities and towns, and hopefully one day we will have a convention or celebration of Inspire Women Nationwide. “

Author: Jude Gidney - Editor

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