Women driven by a desire to help women was the focus of a conference in Warwick on Friday, organised by local charitable organisation The Esther Project. 

In celebration of International Women's Day 2025 and with its theme, Accelerate Action, Together, She Rises was a powerful gathering aimed at driving forward change for women facing complex needs, bringing together key stakeholders including women's services, charities, government representatives and professionals from mental health, domestic abuse, homelessness and criminal justice sectors. 

Keynote speakers at King's High in Warwick, included Lianne Kirkman, founder of The Esther Project alongside event co-organiser Deputy Lieutenant of Warwickshire Clare Sawdon.

Other speakers on the day were Hannah Thomas; Michelle Smith, Dr Matt Home, Dr Tom McNeill and Kellie Ziemba and invited guests included Lord Lieutenant Tim Cox, and current High Sheriff Rajvinder Kaur Gill and Deputy Police Crime Commissioner Emma Daniell. 

Hannah Thomas established the charity Cherished in Sutton Coldfield in 2011, dedicated to helping children feel safe, seen, soothed and secure. Connection is at the heart of everything she does, believing in dealing with the root of behaviour. 

Michelle Smith is a district judge and a Judicial college tutor and Judicial mentor. She is also a Diversity and Community Relations Judge and lead judge in the ISC pilot for women offenders in Birmingham. 

Dr Matt Home is the CEO of Willowdene Rehabilitation in Shropshire which focuses on alternatives to traditional recovery methods, including pioneering the first Residential 

Alternative to custody for women in the UK and addressing to resolve the intergenerational issues associated with offending and health. 

Keynote speakers at King's High in Warwick, included Lianne Kirkman, founder of The Esther Project (image supplied)

Dr Tom McNeill is the CEO of the Birmingham-based JABBS Foundation, which works nationally to support women and girls at risk of falling into or caught in the criminal justice system due to systemic disadvantage. 

He sits on the Ministry of Justice Women's Justice Board and, previously, as the West Midlands' Assistant Police & Crime Commissioner, initiated and supported innovative projects including one of the UK's first women's problem-solving courts, technology ethics in law enforcement and new models of early intervention for families in crisis. 

Kellie Ziemba is the CEO of Kairos Women Working Together, a Coventry-based specialist organisation supporting and advocating for women who face multiple forms of disadvantage and are subject to or at risk of sexual exploitation. 

She is also a trustee of EVAW (End Violence Against Women), a group of feminist organisations and experts from across the UK, working to end violence against women and girls in all its forms. 

Lianne Kirkman established Leamington-based The Esther Project in 2023. The women-only initiative provides gender-specific support as well as Esther House - a seven-bed supported living accommodation, providing a safe space for women to recover, for up to two years. 

It currently offers supported accommodation and 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. 

The conference also screened a short documentary film of Lianne's recent Her Fight, Our Night Sleepout challenge which saw her sleep on the streets on ten consecutive nights, raising £20k for The Esther Project as well as vital awareness of women's services across the UK. 

Clare Sawdon with Rajvinder Kaur Gill,  the High Sheriff of Warwickshire (image supplied)

Of the event, she said: "We had an incredible day for IWD2025, coming together to hear inspiring speakers who helped us communicate our message effectively. We shared the vision for The Esther Project and invited other fantastic organisations and individuals to collaborate in "accelerating action" for necessary changes in Warwickshire. 

"Our vision for The Esther Project is to ensure that services for women are gender-specific and trauma-informed and our hope is, we can create a multi-agency women-only space and a residential alternative to custody site for women in Warwickshire. 

"Thank you to our incredibly inspiring speakers, who highlighted the complex challenges women face and how we can improve our collective efforts to provide appropriate support and solutions, ultimately diverting women from the criminal justice system. 

"The day was inspired by Women's International Day and hopefully we will now all be able to collaboratively together to create the right solutions for Women in Warwickshire." 

Clare Sawdon, who opened proceedings, is a Deputy Lieutenant of Warwickshire, chairing the Kings Award for Voluntary Service across the county.

She was High Sheriff between 2018-19 and focused on the serious problems of domestic abuse across Warwickshire, raising awareness and supporting victims.

She is the Chairman of the Coventry and Warwickshire Magistrates, having been a JP for many years, specialising in Family court work, supporting families in difficult times. 

She said: "The Esther Project is an exciting opportunity to support women who are suffering trauma due to lived experiences, sometimes they have been brought into contact with perpetrators of domestic abuse which may lead to criminal behaviour, through no fault of their own.

"They need to have a fresh chance in life with professional help. I believe Lianne and her team can give these women a fresh start in life.

"This is why I believe this conference is so important in spreading the word and providing hope for the future." 

A panel discussion also heard from Kaylee Linton, from Refuge Safe Accommodation for domestic support survivors; Joy Doal, CEO of Anawim - Birmingham's Centre for Women; Dr Beverley Gilbert, Founder of Chort 4, a women's peer-led support and peer mentoring organisation based in North Warwickshire; and Sarah Marsden, Interventions Manager at GreenSquareAccord, which provides affordable homes and support services in communities which need them most. 

Anyone who would still like to sponsor Lianne Kirkman's Big Sleepout, in aid of The Esther Project, can click here.