Fundraiser meets London women's charity on seventh stop of 10-night UK Sleepout Challenge
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The stopover, on February 7th, marks the sixth consecutive sleepout for Lianne Kirkman, in her gruelling Her Fight, Our Night Challenge, in support of her charity The Esther Project and brings her into contact with local charity The Marylebone Project.
Her journey, which began in her home town of Leamington Spa in Warwickshire on February 1st, is also taking her to Coventry, Birmingham, Bristol, Southampton, Plymouth, Doncaster, Hull and, finally Blackpool, where, en route, she will meet local organisations supporting women and raising awareness of the complex issues and best practice solutions and highlighting the gaps in service provision.
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Hide AdThe 50-year-old mum of two said: “I want to highlight the need for more women’s centres and some of the great work and some good practice around the UK and we want to work with the other charities to highlight the issue around the Government’s role in funding women’s services.


“Every experience is going to be different but I know that we're going to be met with the same issues around funding, around women not being safe, the effects of trauma and the cycle of abuse, the poverty cycle and women in and out of the criminal justice system.”
Established In 1932, The Marylebone Project provides a life-changing service for women to overcome homelessness in the heart of London. It Is the largest and longest-running centre of its kind in the UK - with over 90 years of experience, 112 residential beds across two buildings, and the only women’s-only homelessness drop-in centre that’s open 24/7, 365 days a year.
The charity offers over 50 different activities, with 5,000 sessions attended each year; each woman has her own private bedroom and access to shared facilities for up to two years and over 50 women each year are resettled into independent housing.
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Hide AdWithin the project’s safe environment women rebuild trust, learn to re-engage with society and start to rebuild their lives with the support of our all-encompassing service provision.


Farn Bain Smith, of The Marylebone Project, said: "Our clients face a variety of challenges including Domestic abuse, Human trafficking, alcohol and drug misuse, unemployment, loneliness, disability and mental health, but whatever their story, we aim to empower them to overcome homelessness and live independent, full lives."
Lianne’s challenge will also be documented by film maker, Laura Harvey of Vibe Immersive, and later screened as part of a special conference organised as part of International Women’s Day weekend, on March 7th.
The Esther Project and Esther House are women-only initiatives providing gender-specific supported living accommodation as well as 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.
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Hide AdLianne said: “But the bigger dream, within the next 18 months, is to have a 24/7 space that offers provision such as those we're visiting over the 10 days. We’re looking at how we can meet all those needs and learn from all these amazing spaces. What's good practice? I want to see what's working for them in the areas of counselling, employability, homelessness and women in and out of the criminal justice system. There's some great projects out there.”

The challenge is also being supported by Warwickshire sponsors Lockwoods Ski & Outdoor; Raised Modular Flooring (RMF); The Leader Marketing Partnership; Cool Fox Tees; Comtec Translations, Esque Beauty and Pentlands Accountants and Advisors.
Lianne said: “We’ve got to stop that cycle of abuse. Women caught up in domestic abuse don’t dare leave their partner but if they do they end up in poverty and lose their house and that’s the trigger for the whole mess they end up in. And women are being thrown into overcrowded prisons for stealing a loaf of bread to feed their children, and non-violent crimes when they should be getting treatment for the pain and trauma they've previously gone through. Why are we not treating women the right way?”
Money raised will fund women’s services in Warwickshire including the future hub. To sponsor Lianne visit: https://localgiving.org/fundraising/Her-Fight-Our-Night-10-day-sleepout-across-the-UK