WORTH

16/02/2026

This year for International Women’s Day on 8th March, WORTH will be highlighting the stories of women impacted by domestic abuse through our powerful Red Chair Exhibition.

Each chair holds a story.
Each story holds strength.
Each woman holds worth.

We are honoured to be part of Chesterfield Borough Council’s event to mark the day and to stand alongside our community in raising awareness, amplifying voices, and calling for change.

🎟️ Tickets are free, but must be booked in advance.
Please secure your place by following the link below:

https://www.chesterfield.gov.uk/events/international-women-s-day-event/

Let’s come together this International Women’s Day to listen, learn, and stand in solidarity.

Events in Chesterfield

13/02/2026

Growth isn’t just about learning.

It’s also about unlearning.

And we don’t talk about that enough.

Unlearning is uncomfortable.
It asks us to question beliefs we once needed to survive.
It invites us to loosen our grip on coping strategies that once kept us safe.
It challenges narratives we were handed by family, culture, workplaces, and even faith spaces.

Sometimes growth isn’t adding something new.
Sometimes it’s gently laying something down.

Unlearning might look like:

• Realising that being “the strong one” doesn’t mean doing everything alone.
• Questioning productivity as a measure of worth.
• Letting go of people-pleasing as a survival strategy.
• Releasing shame that was never yours to carry.
• Redefining what success, leadership, or even love looks like.

For many trauma survivors, unlearning is profound work. It can mean rewiring nervous system responses, challenging internalised blame, and recognising that what once protected you may now be limiting you.

In organisations, unlearning might mean examining long-held practices that unintentionally harm. In leadership, it might mean shifting from control to curiosity. In personal life, it might mean allowing yourself to outgrow roles you were praised for.

Unlearning is rarely celebrated because it doesn’t look shiny.
It often looks like confusion before clarity.
Grief before freedom.
Silence before a new voice emerges.

But it is a courageous act.

If growth feels messy right now, it may be because you’re not just learning.

You’re unlearning.

And that matters.

09/02/2026

🚨 URGENT: WORTH NEED A NEW HOME 🚨

For over a decade, WORTH has been supporting women in their long-term healing after experiencing domestic abuse. This work matters, and we are determined to continue it.

Unfortunately, we’ve recently received news that means we cannot remain in our current building. While it was never fit for purpose, it has been our base, and we now urgently need a new place to call home.

We are looking for a short-term or long-term building ideally in Chesterfield, but would concider anywhere in Derbyshire, with:

Ground floor space

A ground floor toilet or lift access

We want to be honest, we don’t have a large budget, but we do have some funds available and are open to conversation and creative solutions.

If you, your organisation, church, business, or someone you know, may be able to help, please get in touch as soon as possible.

📧 [email protected]

Even sharing this post could help us reach the right person.
Thank you for standing with us and the women we support 💜

07/02/2026

At WORTH, we often say that our people go beyond “work” and this is a perfect example of that 💐

These flowers were sent to our CEO at her new home (and first ever owned home, a huge milestone), by a long-standing supporter of WORTH who now also works with us as a freelance bid writer.

She is incredibly versatile, supporting the charity sector in many different ways, and what makes her stand out is that she never feels like a distant external consultant. She feels like part of the WORTH family.

If you work in the charity, voluntary, or not-for-profit sector and are looking for support that is skilled, relational, and values-driven, we highly recommend taking a look at her work:
👉 https://www.socialsectorsupport.com/

This is what meaningful partnership looks like 💜

22/01/2026

✨ What a fabulous day out in the community! ✨

Today, WORTH took our 17-week trauma-informed self-defence course, delivered in partnership with the brilliant Dan at Elemental Academy; Health, Fitness & Lifestyle Chesterfield and transformed it into a pilot 1-day workshop, open to women who live and work across Derbyshire.

The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and incredibly helpful as we plan future 1-day workshops like this. It’s clear there is real value, and real need, for trauma-informed spaces that centre safety, choice, and empowerment.

A huge thank you to every woman who attended. Thank you for your engagement, openness, and bravery.

And thank you to Dan, Robyn, and Carla for leading the day with such care, skill, and compassion.

Watch this space…

20/01/2026

🌾 Throwback to our Garden of Hope project at WORTH 🌾

Looking back at this photo fills us with so much gratitude.

From tiny seeds to a thriving harvest, this journey was about so much more than growing food. Together, we learned about different herbs, flowers, fruit and vegetables, their benefits, how to care for them, and how nature supports our wellbeing in gentle but powerful ways.

With donated greenhouses from Wickes, and a community garden plot funded by Derbyshire County Council, we planted, watered, pruned, sheltered and protected our crops as they grew. Along the way, we tried foods many of us had never tasted before, made herbal ointments to support skin health, created beautiful nature-inspired art, and experienced the calm and connection that comes from working with the earth.

Gardening and horticultural therapy naturally open the door to deep, meaningful conversations, about care, patience, growth, safety, boundaries, and healing. These moments are often eye-opening, grounding, and incredibly powerful.

We are so lucky to have Caroline leading these sessions with such knowledge, warmth and care. Today she sat down with me and Tannischa, a student currently on placement with us, to talk all about nature therapy, the work we do at WORTH, and why it matters so much.

And while reflecting, we’ve also had our planning heads on.
Behind the scenes, we’ve been developing our new Nature Befriender Training, which we’ll be rolling out to WORTH volunteers from April.

💚 Interested in volunteering with WORTH?
We’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch at:
📧 [email protected]

19/01/2026

Domestic abuse knows no boundaries. It affects people of all cultures, backgrounds, and faiths. WORTH is not a faith-based charity, but our CEO was honoured to take part in a project exploring gender-based violence and the Bible.

The project ran for two years. From it, a book chapter featuring our CEO’s contribution is being published, and small group materials are now being developed for practical use within churches and Christian settings.

This was a meaningful opportunity for her to combine her lived experience, professional expertise, and personal faith to contribute to important conversations about domestic abuse in faith communities.

📖 Read more about the original project here:

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a crime as old, if not older, than the Bible. Yet, it is also a crime that remains endemic today, with almost one in three women globally having ‘been subjected to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once in...

19/01/2026

☕💛 Brew Monday

The WORTH team is at Chesterfield College from 10am–2pm, all set up and ready to chat with you!

Brew Monday is a day to promote social connections and mental health wellbeing through shared conversations.

Whether you want to learn more about our long-term support for women affected by domestic abuse, ask questions, or just say hello, we’d love to see you.

17/01/2026

💙 Proud of Our Partnership with the University of Derby 💙

We are incredibly grateful for our ongoing partnership with the University of Derby, particularly in supporting mental health nursing students during their placements.

We’ve just received some feedback shared with us from a previous student, who reflected on her placement at WORTH in feedback to her tutors. We feel truly honoured by her words:

✨
“WORTH provided me with learning opportunities through observations and participation in therapy sessions with clients. I was also allowed to participate in social and community network events that exposed me to resources and support services for signposting in my future practice.

WORTH is built and operated on the 6C’s of nursing. I learnt a lot about trauma-informed care, communicating in a trauma-informed manner, building a safe and secure space for patients, and signposting.”
✨

At WORTH, we believe placements are about more than experience, they’re about values, compassion, and understanding trauma in real-world settings. Knowing that students leave with a deeper understanding of trauma-informed care and confidence in their future practice means so much to our team.

Thank you to the University of Derby for trusting us as a placement provider, and to every student who brings care, curiosity, and commitment into our service.

16/01/2026

📣 Calling Derbyshire Women 📣

At WORTH, we’re excited to be piloting something new in our community 💛

We’ve taken our 17-week trauma-informed self-defence course, adapted it, and are now trialling a 1-day trauma-informed self-defence course to make it more accessible to women in our community.

✨ The first pilot day is coming up soon:

📅 Thursday 22nd January
📍 Chesterfield
⏰ 10:00am – 2:30pm

We still have a few spaces available, so if this is something you’d like to take part in, please get in touch as soon as possible.

📧 [email protected]

This course is trauma-informed, supportive, and focused on empowerment, choice, and safety. You don’t need any previous experience, just come as you are.

Please feel free to share with anyone who may benefit 💛

15/01/2026

A Box of Care Goes a Long Way

We were so touched to receive this beautifully scented box of relaxing and uplifting products kindly donated by Lush Derby. Their continued generosity never goes unnoticed, and we are truly grateful for the thought, care, and intention behind every donation.

For many of the women we support, self-care is often the last thing on the list when navigating life after trauma. Survival takes priority. Rest, gentleness, and pleasure can feel unfamiliar, or even undeserved. These products are so much more than bathbombs and scents; they are a quiet message that says you matter, you are thought of, and you are worthy of good things.

Self-care can be an important step in healing, growth, and reconnecting with a sense of worth. We’re thankful to Lush Derby for helping us remind our clients of that, one beautifully smelling act of kindness at a time .

LUSH UK

15/01/2026

Learning, Growing, Strengthening Our Support

We’re really proud to share this photo of Rachael, our Community Engagement Officer, and Tannischa, who is currently with us on placement as part of her Mental Health Nursing Degree, holding their new certificates from a really interesting and valuable training day with Derbyshire Recovery Partnership on Alcohol Awareness and Brief Interventions.

In our line of work, understanding the complex links between trauma, coping strategies, and substance use is essential. This kind of training helps us respond with greater compassion, curiosity, and confidence, ensuring the women and families we support feel understood rather than judged, and are signposted to the right help at the right time.

A big thank you to Derbyshire Recovery Partnership for such an insightful day, and well done to Rachael and Tannischa for continuing to invest in learning that strengthens the support we offer 💜