Gateway 4 Women is a not-for-profit organisation offering support to all women in a safe, welcoming and women-only space. We support women with a range of vulnerabilities, including; mental wellbeing, homelessness and housing related difficulties, those undergoing drug and alcohol rehabilitation, those suffering domestic abuse, debt and money management, and social isolation, to name a few. We are open to all women – some may simply wish to come down for a chat and a cuppa and meet new people!
Our aim is to encourage, enable and empower women to unlock their potential by accessing support, learning new skills, gaining qualifications, building confidence and self-esteem, developing social skills, and thus improve overall wellbeing. To do this, we offer a variety of support groups, workshops, 1-1 support, therapeutic activities, and education and training courses. We work closely with Barrow Women’s Community Matters and Lancashire Women’s Centres, as well as local agencies including Drug & Alcohol Services, Probation Services, Carlisle Job Centre and Carlisle & Eden Citizens Advice Bureau, in order to be provide support in a holistic manner, bringing services into our Centres where possible, as opposed to signposting women out.
“I am so pleased to see the launch of this centre, as I believe it is so important to provide the more vulnerable in our communities with the resources and knowledge to enable them to have the skills and confidence to improve their lives. I hear many success stories from women who have been given similar opportunities, and they have been able to turn their lives around.
I firmly believe in ‘we, not they’. In other words, if we all take some responsibility and work with and support each other, it is possible to make a difference to lives in our communities.
I believe that ‘Gateway 4 Women’ very much epitomises this vision.”
– Peter McCall, Police and Crime Commissioner, Cumbria