Today marks our 2nd birthday, and we can assure you it’s been far from terrible!  

In fact, our journey so far has been the opposite. Whilst nothing in life comes without challenges, and we understand that the challenges facing the women and girls sector are mounting. We have listened to your feedback and hear you when you say you’re underfunded, unable to meet growing demand and feel undervalued, we know that we have a lot of work still left to do until we see a women and girls sector that is thriving, not just surviving.  

However, what we’ve been able to achieve over the last two years at Represent Women we are immensely proud of, and we have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the women and girls sector across the North East, a sector that we are continuously amazed by and inspired by. 

Over the last two years we have built a community full of empowered women and girls organisations spanning across the North East, from Newcastle and Gateshead, all the way to Durham and Tees Valley. We are passionate about keeping you all connected and there’s no corner of the North East we won’t travel to. 

Our members range from Domestic Abuse charities, theatre groups, women’s centers to peer support networks. The members we have gotten to know over the last two years are who inspire us every day to do the work that we do and we can’t wait to get to know more of you as Represent Women continue to grow.  

Our main goal has always been to create a space in which the women and girl’s sector feel heard, seen and connected. This is and always has been our driving force. Through consistent collaboration, commitment, courage, and consideration we have been able to  advocate for the sector in front of key decision and policy makers, amplify the sectors achievements on social media, ensure the sectors voices are listened to and represented when it comes to strategies, connect with the women and girls sector across numerous networking events, influence policy that directly impacts women and girls and keep the sector informed through the information we share in our monthly newsletter.  

Whilst we are proud of everything we have been able to achieve at Represent Women, including the small every day tasks, there are some achievements we still can’t believe we have been able to accomplish and we’d like to take a minute to highlight a few of them (because if you can’t pat your own back on your birthday, then when can you?) 

Shouting about the women and girls sector and what the sector needs to thrive is one thing we will never tire from, and we are beyond proud that we have been able to advocate for the sector directly to the Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioners Office, to shape commissioning principles and influence practice in the areas they cover. We have also helped to establish a Women’s Policy Network at Newcastle City Council, bringing leaders from women’s and girls’ organisations into policy conversations that directly affect the city and most recently we have worked alongside the North East Combined Authority to convene an expert panel of women’s and girls’ organisations to help guide a major study on women’s safety across the public transport system. Ensuring that women’s voices are embedded at the heart of policy decisions and that the women and girls’ sector is actively shaping solutions has been a key highlight of our work. 

Our work is also deeply embedded in collaboration and we have been proud early adopters of the Become the Bridge campaign, launched by the North East Anti- Racism Coalition, we even hosted the first-round table, which focused on women and girls, in conjunction with the Angelou Centre. This is work we are deeply passionate about and look forward to continuing.  

We have also partnered with Moral Rebels to deliver two learning sessions for the sector, Community Foundation to host a number of ‘On the Table’ events and local government representatives to speak at conferences on behalf of the women and girls sector. We have been able to write letters to our local MPs to influence the VAWG strategy which resulted in Jess Phillips agreeing to meet with us – which are looking to chase up and make happen in 2026.  

Thank you to the National Lottery Fund for making it all possible and thank you to our Steering and Management group for your continued support and direction.  

We would also like to thank all our members, without whom there would be no Represent Women, thank you for your continued collaboration and for allowing us to amplify the work you do.  

Lastly, we would like to thank Tyneside Women’s Health for incubating us until we become our own charity. We appreciate your kindness, generosity and how you treat us as one of your own – Thank you!  

As we head into our third year, we are filled with excitement and determination for what’s to come, starting with our sector-wide research project to explore the true value of the women’s sector, and extending to all the network events we plan on attending, social media posts we plan on posting and opportunities to represent the women and girl sector we plan on grabbing with both hands. 

Stay tuned…