AN INTREPID fund-raiser has joined Coventry women’s charities during her mammoth ten-night sleep-out across the UK.
Lianne Kirkman came to the city for the second of ten consecutive nights of her gruelling Her Fight, Our Night Challenge in support of the Leamington-based The Esther Project, a charity she launched in 2023.
There she met staff from the charities Kairos Women Working Together (Kairos) and Embrace.
Driven by a passion for supporting vulnerable women, Lianne began her journey in her home town of Leamington before travelling to Coventry, Birmingham, Bristol, Plymouth, Southampton, London, Hull, Doncaster and finally Blackpool.
The 50-year-old mum of two said: “I want to highlight the need for more women’s centres and some of the great work and some good practice around the UK, and we want to work with the other charities to highlight the issue around the government’s role in funding women’s services.
“We’re met with the same issues around funding, around women not being safe, the effects of trauma and the cycle of abuse, the poverty cycle and women in and out of the criminal justice system.”
Kairos is a specialist organisation run by women, for women, supporting and advocating for those who face multiple disadvantage, social exclusion, and are at risk of, or subject to, sexual exploitation.
Kairos CEO Kellie Ziemba joined Lianne on the sleep-out. She said: “Choosing to ‘sleep rough’ can never be compared to the harsh realities faced by women in our community who have no safe space to call home, but we see taking part as an opportunity to raise awareness of the need for specialist women’s services.
“At Kairos, we believe that every woman matters and know that specialist women’s services like ours can be transformational in women’s lives.
“Women tell us our support made all the difference in them addressing their substance use, being able to exit prostitution, or being able to keep their children in their care. Ultimately, we help women build fulfilled lives, free from violence, abuse, and sexual exploitation.”
Embrace is a Christian charity supporting women in Coventry and Birmingham who are subject to, or at risk of, sexual exploitation through selling sex on the streets. The charity runs twice-weekly evening outreach on the streets of Coventry.
Embrace Coventry project manager Ali Maynard also joined the sleep-out. She said: “We’re thrilled to be supporting this project. Lianne was involved in Embrace outreach in our early days, and it’s brilliant to now be able to support her current project.
“We are behind Lianne in her efforts to increase the awareness of the needs of women who are facing homelessness and to advocate for a greater amount and reach of women’s services.”
The Esther Project and Esther House are women-only initiatives providing supported living accommodation as well as a weekly programme of activities to reduce isolation and improve skills.
The ambition is to open a hub, a safe space where women can meet, access key support services and develop new skills for employability alongside an alternative to custody, situated in a rural location for women with more complex needs.
Lianne said: “But the bigger dream, within the next 18 months, is to have a 24/7 space that offers provision such as those we’ve visited over the 10 days. We’re looking at how we can meet all those needs and learn from all these amazing spaces.
“What’s good practice? I want to see what’s working for them in the areas of counselling, employability, homelessness and women in and out of the criminal justice system. There’s some great projects out there.
“We’ve got to stop that cycle of abuse. Women caught up in domestic abuse don’t dare leave their partner but if they do they end up in poverty and lose their house and that’s the trigger for the whole mess they end up in.
“And women are being thrown into overcrowded prisons for stealing a loaf of bread to feed their children, and non-violent crimes when they should be getting treatment for the pain and trauma they’ve previously gone through. Why are we not treating women the right way?”
Money raised will fund women’s services in Warwickshire including the future hub. Visit https://tinyurl.com/3rbjfkjz to sponsor Lianne.
