* North Wales Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Wayne Jones at the North Wales Women’s Centre in Rhyl with, from left, Abby Lewis, office co-ordinator; Gemma Fox, Managing Director; and Yvonne Wild, Project Manager. Picture by Mandy Jones Photography.
A vital service protecting vulnerable women across North Wales is opening two new contact centres in Wrexham and Bangor to reach out to those in need..
The North Wales Women’s Centre, in Rhyl, was forced
to close its doors during lockdown, preventing women using its drop-in service.
Now the centre has re-opened and is launching its new Pathfinder offices in Wrexham and Bangor.
The Pathfinder programme, which aims to help women at risk of offending, has been commissioned and paid for by North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin.
It provides early intervention and support to
vulnerable women, often with issues such as alcohol and substance misuse,
mental health problems and family relationships, to reduce the number in the
criminal justice system while helping them live safer, healthier lives.
Centre managing director Gemma Fox said: “These are places which are
welcoming, warm, friendly places where women who have been through trauma can
be reassured and have confidential conversations in a safe environment.
“We know these centres can encourage women to
rebuild their lives and without the help of the Commissioner we just wouldn’t
have been able to go ahead with the plans
“The return to face to face work will encourage
women to seek out support again as during the pandemic that personal contact
couldn’t be there.
“We are beginning to see an increase in demand and
are expecting this to grow with the developing economic fallout of the pandemic
and drops in benefits.”
North Wales Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner
Wayne Jones said: “We are very keen to support the ongoing work of the Centre
to divert women out of the criminal justice system whenever possible.
“We know the impact a sentence can have on a family
and that’s why we want to continue our support and we welcome the fact that the
Centre is opening new bases in Wrexham and Bangor to make its services more
accessible to women across North Wales.
“I know from my own experience how very, very
helpful these services are to women at risk including those who come to the
Centre and want to change their lives.
“They have an excellent record of supporting women
who are in difficult situations and in diverting them away from prison.
“Covid has brought extra challenges with the
reduction in face to face meetings but they have continued to do excellent work
and it’s great that they can now develop services across North Wales.”
Yvonne Wild, Project Manager at the Centre, said:
“Women come to us through different routes, not just referrals from police or
those who have committed offences, but those also at risk of offending.
“They’re often those who are homeless or with
alcohol or drug problems, victims of domestic abuse and those in financial
difficulty, particularly with the reduction in Universal Credit.
“There are also people who have lost jobs,
especially in an area like Rhyl which is one of the most deprived in Wales, but
also in Bangor and in Wrexham where we get the most referrals.
“There has been an increase in the numbers seeking
support with domestic abuse and housing problems that we are dealing with and
it hasn’t helped that women have not been able to call in during lockdown.
“However we were delighted to restart our Wednesday
drop in service in Rhyl in September where women can call by without an
appointment.”
* To contact the North Wales Women’s Centre and for support go to https://northwaleswomenscentre.com/ or call 01745-339331.
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