A local women’s support centre that provides a safe welcoming space for women to learn together and share life experiences, has received £1,000 funding from Power NI – Northern Ireland’s leading electricity supplier.
The money is being donated to Waterside Women’s Centre through Power NI’s Brighter Communities initiative and will allow them to purchase new sewing machines for their women’s sewing course. This course aims to provide local women with new skills to aid employment as well as providing a safe, social outlet to help build meaningful supportive relationships.
Speaking about the funding award, Rosemary O’Doherty from Waterside Women’s Centre said:
“With the ongoing cost of living crisis, we identified the need for support for women who wanted to learn new skills and save money by being able to make clothes or do their own repairs/alterations. This donation has enabled us to buy newer, more reliable sewing machines and accessories which will be used in a group setting where women will be guided on learning how to carry out the work they want to complete.”
Founded in 1994 to create learning opportunities that are geared towards meeting women’s needs and aspirations, Waterside Women’s Centre offers skills, training and education opportunities in a relaxed and non-threatening environment. The Centre also offers free on-site childcare to women attending their courses to help remove barriers that some women may face in accessing education and training.
Ashleigh O’Neill, Senior Marketing and Communications Executive at Power NI commented: "The support that Waterside Women's Centre provides to their local community is amazing and we are delighted to be able to support them with their latest project, allowing more women to get involved and benefit from further training opportunities. As a result of this equipment upgrade, the Centre has increased capacity to continue their work which is an important lifeline to many women in the local area.”
Power NI created the Brighter Communities programme in 2018, and it has now donated over £85,000 to groups and projects operating across Northern Ireland. The scheme was created to assist innovative and emerging community groups, charities, teams, and projects that strive to serve their local communities.
Learn more about the Waterside Women's Centre
Find out more on how Power NI is energising local communities.
