New Women's Support Service Flourish Launches With Centre In Scarborough

A new community-led support service named Flourish has been launched to help women across North Yorkshire, featuring a dedicated women's centre in Scarborough alongside rural outreach programmes.

Women across the Yorkshire Coast are set to benefit from a new community-led support service that includes a dedicated centre in Scarborough.

The Women’s Alliance programme, named Flourish, has been designed by women themselves to focus on empowerment, connection, and positive change. The initiative has received almost £400,000 in funding from the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority.

The service will be delivered through a partnership between St Giles, Changing Lives, and Waythrough. It aims to provide responsive, trauma-informed support tailored to individual needs, improving access to opportunities for women facing multiple challenges.

In Scarborough, female professionals are being welcomed to co-locate at the town's Women’s Centre. The service also includes Liberty Links rural projects and independent multi-agency drop-in spaces across the wider county to ensure those outside urban areas are not left behind.

Women seeking support can visit the Scarborough Women’s Centre for drop-in sessions and brief intervention support, while those living outside the town can self-refer by phone, text, or email.

Jo Coles, the York and North Yorkshire Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire and Crime, attended the launch events. She said:

"Thank you to the amazing network of partners from across York and North Yorkshire who are already doing so much to support the delivery of a whole system approach to tackling violence against women and girls; putting the needs of victims and survivors at the centre. David Skaith the Mayor and I are committed to keeping people safe in our region. And it’s great to have a true partnership approach to this work in our new women’s alliance service, Flourish that will deliver support from our two women’s centres as well as from mobile vans and outreach sessions in other towns across the county too."

Tracey Burley, Chief Executive of St Giles, highlighted the importance of using trained professionals with lived experience. She said:

"At St Giles, we see the impact that joined-up, person-centred support can have on individuals facing multiple and complex challenges – especially when utilising trained professionals with lived experience of the issues facing the people they are working with. We know that when organisations work together, people are better able to access the right support at the right time, creating sustained benefits for both individuals and their communities. North Yorkshire's Whole Systems Approach is an excellent example of this collaborative vision in action, and we are delighted to be contributing to its delivery through Flourish. We look forward to working alongside North Yorkshire Combined Authority, Changing Lives and Waythrough to help women access the support they need, overcome barriers, and build safer, healthier and more positive futures."

Faye Sunter, Development Director from Changing Lives, said:

"We are delighted to be part of Flourish and to formalise our partnership across York and North Yorkshire. This service brings together extensive local and specialist expertise to better respond to the needs of women across the region. Flourish represents an innovative and much-needed approach to support, and we are proud to have contributed to its development. We look forward to continuing to strengthen the service as it grows."

Jenna Wing-Parker, Head of Services in the West and North Yorkshire at Waythrough, added:

"It has long been known that too many support services aren’t designed to fully meet the needs of women. Flourish represents a real opportunity for us as partners to meet more women where they are in life, break down the barriers that might stop them from seeking support, and make a positive difference to their lives. We’re excited to bring our trauma-informed and person-centred expertise in substance use and community diversion to this innovative partnership, as well as our experience in effectively reaching people in our large, rural communities like York and North Yorkshire."

Flourish provides holistic support through one-to-one interventions and group work, allowing individuals to progress at their own pace. Professionals, including the police and partner agencies, are also able to refer women to the service using a straightforward referral form.