Held at our Althorpe Street centre between 12.30 and 2.30pm every Wednesday, the Esther Project offers a warm and welcoming place for women to gather.

Led by a qualified women’s support worker, supported by volunteers, the project offers company, comfort and practical help to women facing issues such as addiction, domestic abuse or homelessness.

It provides a safe space in which women from all backgrounds can talk, share and rest in an atmosphere of total trust and no pressure.

The project is about connection and cultivating a sense of belonging. All the women that join us are welcomed into our community and become a valued part of it. That sense of community brings collective strength and purpose, and we all share in the joy when an individual turns their life around.

Meetings often welcome a guest speaker or involve a trip out somewhere. Sometimes the emphasis is on education, sometimes it’s just about fun. Either way, the Esther Project is never dull!

“A hand up, not a hand out,” is the ethos that underpins Helping Hands and that is absolutely the case with The Esther Project. Every woman that comes to us has skills and attributes – we love to rekindle and nurture those skills and attributes. We provide opportunities for training and to get involved in activities and learn new skills.

“I love coming to Esther group because it feels familiar and I’m at home with my friends at the group. Helping Hands supported me through my three years on the streets of Leamington and have always been there after that too. I am slowly healing and I will be forever grateful to all involved.”