Five members of staff at a Leeds-based charity that has supported local women for over three decades are to take on a gruelling 100km walk around the city to raise awareness and funds.
The team from Women's Health Matters will walk the circumference of the city over Friday, Saturday and Sunday this week and are aiming to raise £10,000 for their efforts. This amount will then be match funded by the Big Give, resulting in a potential total of £20,000.
The charity is a group work specialist that helps women from across the Leeds area and offers projects to help women experiencing domestic abuse, women seeking asylum, women with learning disabilities, women whose children live elsewhere and women with complex needs or mental health and wellbeing needs.
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Team member Georgia Griffiths, who is taking part in the walk, said: "This is going to be an incredibly tough challenge for us all, but it demonstrates the level of difficulty the women we support face on a daily basis, and we hope to highlight and promote the life-changing work that we carry out in and around Leeds."
The team will start their journey from Oulton Hall and follow the Leeds Country Way route around the city over the weekend.
Georgia said: "We're feeling quite nervous because it's quite a big undertaking. But as a team we are conscious of how important it is to look after both our physical and mental health so this will be a good opportunity to test ourselves. And the rest of the team will be joining us and bringing their children for parts of the journey to support us.
"We are looking forward to the fact that the walk encompasses all of the areas that women that use our groups come from."
The charity was founded in 1987 and currently works with around 750 women in and around the city every year.
Georgia said: "We take a woman-centred holistic approach, creating a safe, nurturing environment to help women recover their confidence, explore their own needs and regain control over their lives. We specialise in group work, peer support, and providing one-to-one support. Our broad health remit enables women experiencing violence and abuse to raise these issues in safety and to receive support without stigma or partner suspicion."
The campaign is now live until October 10. To make a financial donation for this challenge, please visit the Big Give website. To find out more about what Women's Health Matters does visit their website www.womenshealthmatters.org.uk.
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