Centre news

In the space of one year, here’s what we achieved!

1 November 2022

Nottingham Women’s Centre continues to offer hope to women where that possibility isn’t always seen. We pride ourselves in pulling back the curtain to inspire, encourage and collaborate with women.

Every day we strive to ensure that all self-identifying women in Nottingham can achieve the things they want to in life, while also tackling the practicalities of whatever comes their way. We’re here to provide counselling, educational courses, financial guidance, confidence building, social activities, and more.

This past year has seen the Centre fully open our doors again after the challenges of the pandemic. During that time our caseworker support was mostly provided by telephone, and our counsellors continued to work online whilst still providing face-to-face support for women in refuges. We’re thrilled to see the return of the regular hustle and bustle of the Centre, and to be able to provide a safe, warm and friendly space for women who need it.

We’re also proud to work alongside an amazing community of local organisations all working to support women in Nottinghamshire. We’re stronger together, and every day we’re blown away by what local women are doing for our city and county.

A huge thank you to all of our funders, supporters and sister organisations for the generosity and support you have shown us over recent times. Your support has been crucial in keeping our Crisis Funds afloat and keeping 30 Chaucer Street open as a warm, welcoming and holistic place.

Support our work!

Rising costs of living mean that now more than ever, we need your help to support women in Nottinghamshire.

We’ve know that some people are donating their energy rebates to charity and wanted to let you know that any contribution you can make, big or small, helps keep 30 Chaucer Street open as a warm, holistic, friendly space for women in need of financial, mental health and other forms of support.

“I’m so thankful and grateful. Thank you so much. You helped me find myself again when I felt so lost.”
A woman who received counselling at NWC

Can you help us support women through the cost-of-living crisis?

31 October 2022

With the rising costs of living, now more than ever we need your help to support women in Nottinghamshire.

We heard that people are donating their energy rebate payments to charity and wanted to let you know that any contribution you can make, big or small, helps us ensure that 30 Chaucer Street remains a warm, holistic, and friendly space for many women in need of financial, mental health and other forms of support.

Nottingham Women’s Centre is run by women, for ALL women. We have over 50 years’ experience helping women to become stronger and more independent via our support services, counselling services, wellbeing courses and activities, person-centred advice and ability to offer an open, safe space that’s free to access.

We’re also pretty proud to be home to one of the country’s only remaining women’s libraries – Nottingham Women’s Library!

Make a donation

In the space of just one year, over 12,000 women come through our doors. We helped them gain a total of £300,000 through our financial support services and we offered upwards of 1500 hours in counselling. We also awarded over £90,000 in community grants to grassroots organisations working to support some of Nottingham’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged communities of women.

Our FREE courses and activities are attended by thousands of women each year, who each take away new skills, increased confidence, greater sense of wellbeing and more.

As well as the above, we’re also drivers of change! Through our extensive campaigning and policy work, we’ve had a major impact on local and national policy decisions affecting women, such as the recent Misogyny Hate Crime legislation changes.

In supporting our work, you help us reach vulnerable women across Nottinghamshire who are in vital need of support. Thank you!

Peer Support nominated for Mind’s Marsh Awards!

18 January 2021

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At the end of last year, we were pleasantly surprised to find our Peer Support Group Counselling nominated for Mind’s Marsh Awards 2020, with a special focus on the way the group reorganised to support women during tough social distancing measures.

Click the above video to watch our wonderful Group Leader, Ray Cole, talk through how the group has innovated to support as many women as possible over the past year.

If you would like to find out more about Peer Support and come along to the group, find out more here.

Banned books – message from our library volunteers

1 October 2019

As promised, some of our volunteers have devised a list of some of the books that have been banned/censored and contested written by women over the years, all over the world. We know this list is not exhaustive and we are aware that there may be books that are missing from this list.

We’ve tried to ensure that all the information contained in this list is correct, however we are aware that there could be errors. If anyone spots anything that they think is a glaring false account, please do let us know and we will alter it. A number of these books are contained in our catalogue, which you can access here so please do come and browse if you can and check them out. We hope you find this interesting and that it provokes some interesting discussions and insights. Any feedback or comments are most welcome.

Find out more about Nottingham Women’s Library here.

Thank-you.

The Library Team.

Book Title and (first) publication	Author	Banned/censorship/contested (past and present)
Harry Potter (series), first published 1997	J.K. Rowling	Banned for promoting the occult and paganism therefore it is seen as anti-Christian. However, Witchcraft is also deemed an officially recognised religion in the U.S. and so to teach it in school would violate the separation of church and state.
The Bluest Eye, 1970	Toni Morrison	This was banned from (US) schools and libraries due to its sexual content, racism, incest, and child molestation. It was the second most challenged book in the US in 2013.
Forever, 1975	Judy Blume	Banned and challenged for detailed descriptions of sex, the implied homosexuality of a character and the use of birth control. It is also disliked for using swear words. The fact that monogamy is also not promoted but disobedience to parents is added to the case against this novel.
The Colour Purple, 1982	Alice Walker	Challenged due to the sexual explicitness, race relations, ideas around god, African History and social ideas it contains. All this and the violence depicted meant it was banned in U.S. schools from 1984, and still contested today.
To Kill a Mockingbird, 1960	Harper Lee	This has a long history with censorship in the USA. The racial slurs, the bad language used by the children in the book and the subject matter of rape all deemed too much for children.
Beloved, 1987	Toni Morrison	The passages about ghosts as well as the racial themes, sexual content and graphic sexual violence are not considered suitable for teenagers, so it is banned in some schools in the US. In others it requires parental consent for it to be taught to an individual student.
Blubber, 1974	Judy Blume	Given that (spoiler alert…) the bullies prevail in the end it was banned in schools. The language was also an issue particularly the use of the word “bitch” about a teacher. For other schools In the USA the general opinion that it lacked social and literary value meant it was restricted to parental permission only.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, 1969	Maya Angelou	In Alabama it was banned in 1983 because it incited “bitterness and hatred towards white people” It was also objected to because of the sexually explicit violence contained in the recounting of Angelou’s experiences. There were also calls that it encouraged homosexuality.
Gossip Girl (series), 2002	Cecily von Ziegesar	Challenged by U.S. religious groups for its sexual explicitness and offensive language. It was removed from school library shelves. It also contains drug uses and scandals not deemed correct for the age group it is aimed at.
The Diary of a Young Girl, 1952 (in English)	Anne Frank	Banned in the Virginia School system in 2010 due to complaints that it had sexual content in Anne discussing her genitalia and homosexual themes.
The Giver, 1993	Lois Lowry	Again, another text that is controversial in the U.S. school system with violence being the main citation for banning or censoring its use.
The Handmaid’s Tale, 1985	Margaret Atwood	Banned for its use of: graphic violence, sex, profanity, for defamatory statements concerning minorities, god, women, the disabled and Christians. Disliked for the lack of hope and the vulgarity it is considered to display.
The Hunger Games (series), 2008	Suzanne Collins	There are a myriad of reasons for these being challenged including; anti-ethnic, anti-family, occult/satanic concerns, violence, religious viewpoints and sexuality.
Bridge to Terebithia, 1977	Katherine Paterson	One of the most frequently banned books in the U.S. Mostly because of its referencing witchcraft and atheism. There is also deemed to be a lot of swearing.
Frankenstein, 1818	Mary Shelley	This was banned in 1955 in South African Apartheid for being considered obscene and objectionable.
The Well of Loneliness, 1928	Radclyffe Hall	This was riled against in some parts of the British press, and the Home Secretary mobilised the law. Given that it contains nothing against lesbianism which was considered a vice magistrates had the book destroyed. The US reacted differently given that it had not an obscene word in it, this was after the publisher was arrested and copies seized at customs.
The Proof of the Honey, 2007	Salwa al-Neimi	Banned in Oman and the other Arab states for depicting an Arab woman’s sexual encounters and thoughts on love.
The Country Girls, 1960	Edna O’Brien	Publicly burned by a parish priest, banned by the Irish censor for being sexually explicit and highlighting women’s sexuality. O’Brien herself was the recipient of threatening letters.
Black Beauty, 1877	Anna Sewell	Banned in South African during the Apartheid era because it disliked the title placing the words ‘black’ and ‘beauty’ together. this may or may not be a myth.
Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging, 1999	Louise Rennison	Parental consent needed in some US schools due to sexual content of the book.
Letters from Burma, 1997	Aung San Suu Kyi	This view of daily life in Burma doesn’t shy away from showing the political and human rights abuses, leading to it being banned by the regime.
The Awakening, 1899	Kate Chopin	Reception deemed it to be “morbid”, “vulgar” and “feeble”. But it was banned only once that can be verified- from a public library in Evanston Illinois.
Wild Swans, 1991	Jung Chan	Banned in China (still) for challenging China’s version of its history.
Borderlife, 2014	Dorit Rabinyan	Banned by the Israeli government for the love affair between a Jewish woman and a Palestinian man it portrays. It was feared it would encourage intermarriage between Jews and non-Jews.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin, 1852	Harrier Beecher Stowe	It was banned in the Southern States of the U.S. for being anti-slavery. There is also a rumour that it was banned in Imperial Russia for the parallels that could be seen between their system of serfdom.
One Girl’s War, 1945	Joan Miller	The Attorney General of the United Kingdom tried to get this banned through the courts on the basis that it would cause “irreparable damage” to the security services in Britain.
Poetry collection, (work from 1912-25, then 1936 until her death in 1966)	Anna Akhmatova	Her work was subject to censorship and outright condemnation by the Stalinist authorities as it was viewed as anti-revolutionary in 1946. Nonetheless she didn’t shy away from tackling the difficult subjects of life under the regime. To avoid retribution, she learned her poems by heart and then burned them. Should she be arrested and/or executed she ensured their survival by teaching them to her closest female friends. Her work was published again in 1956.
Twilight (series), 2005	Stephanie Meyer	Banned for being considered inappropriately sexually explicit for the age group it is aimed at. It is also deemed to have a religious bias often attributed to Meyer’s being a Mormon.
Their Eyes were Watching God, 1937	Zora Neale Hurston	It has been criticised for not depicting the African American experience in a political way rather than a personal story of the main protagonist. It has also been disliked by the same community for her use of a dialect that made the characters sound uneducated. Alice Walker rediscovered her neglected work in 1970s it has been on some curriculums but still received complaints about many things from the lightness of Janie’s skin to the fact that a feminist book shouldn’t feature a woman who stays with her abusive husband.
Despised and Rejected, 1918	Rose Allatini	This 1918 work deals with both pacifism and homosexuality with its main character, a homosexual composer, refusing conscription on the grounds of pacifism. It was banned under the Defence of the Realm Act by the British on the basis that it could prejudice the recruitment drive of the armed forces. It has just become a Persephone book in 2018.
Forever Amber, 1944	Kathleen Winsor	A work deemed to be overly sexualised and without literary merit. The scandal of such subject matter as sex, abortion and impotence meant that it was banned in Australia in 1945. It was removed from the Commonwealth list of prohibited books in 1958.
Poetry collection, 1946	Kurihara Sadako	Politically unpopular because of her criticism of the Japanese government over their censorship of the truth about the Second World War. Vastly affected by the results of the A Bomb drop becoming involved in the antinuclear movement. In 1990 she received the third annual Kiyoshi Tanimoto Peace Prize.
Poetry and plays, 1902	Else Lasker-Schuler	When Hitler came to power her works were banned and burned including this play which had Hebraic themes. Lasker-Schuler herself was physically attacked in the Spring of 1933 at the age of 64 prompting her to flee to Switzerland. She never returned to Germany leaving her unable to visit the graves of her parents and her only son Paul.
A body of more than 50 works, at least 10 of which were made into Hollywood films. Considered one of the first modern bestselling author.	Vicki Baum	Some of her early work was published under husband’s name. She took up boxing in the late 1920s in Berlin mastering training routines thought more fit for a man to do. Her works were denigrated as sensationalist and amoral by the Third Reich who banned them. She became an American citizen in 1938.
Various works including her essays at Radcliffe College, letters and Addresses have been collected in a collection called Out of The Dark. Collection of essays ; How I Became a Socialist	Helen Keller	The deaf blind girl of the famed image grew into a strong suffragette who used her hands to loudly voice her ideals to the world even it is rumoured to have given several U.S. Presidents grounds for worry. She learned Latin, French, German and Greek. She wrote about disabilities, capitalism, poverty and ignorance. On May 10^th 1933 her collection of essays -as part of Hitler’s list of “degenerate” books -was burned. Keller published an open letter in the New York Times to the Nazi students
Reading Lolita in Tehran, 2003	Azar Nafisi	The western classics read by Nafisi’s clandestine book group were banned in Iran. Her own refusal to wear a veil forced her resignation from her University post.
Burger’s Daughter, 1979	Nadine Gordimer	It’s depiction of white anti-apartheid activists unsurprisingly caused it to be banned in South Africa allegedly for spreading Communist opinions and for working in opposition to law and order in the state.
Fifty Shades (trilogy), 2011	E L James	Banned from libraries in some U.S states on the grounds of its sexual content, though Florida replaced it due to public demand. In Malaysia the trilogy were banned as works of sadism and for threatening morality.
July’s People, 1981	Nadine Gordimer	Set in a near future depiction of a South Africa where Apartheid has been ended by civil war it was banned by the South African regime. It was later temporarily banned from schools in the Gauteng Province under the post-Apartheid government for being patronising, racist and superior.
Lajja, 1993	Taslima Nasrin	With the subject matter of the attack on Hindus by Muslim fundamentalists this work served as an uncomfortable reminder to the Bangladesh of its failure to protect them.
A World of Strangers, 1958	Nadine Gordimer	The subject matter is again the Apartheid in South Africa and the social divides inherent in it leading to it being banned for 12 years.
The Famous Five, 1942	Enid Blyton	Her books were banned by the BBC for nearly 30 years because it was felt that her work lacked literary value and was second-rate.
Jane Eyre, 1847	Charlotte Bronte	As soon as the author was discovered to be a woman, the book was considered ‘coarse” and immoral. Aspersions were cast at Charlotte herself as a loose woman without morals. There is also the added sin that Jane has a mind and a voice of her own.
The House of the Spirits, 1986	Isabel Allende	Made the top 100 banned/challenge books in the US between 2000-2009. Before that, first challenge in 1994 in the US due to accounts of sexual encounters and violence. Other reasons for challenge include; ‘defames’ the Catholic faith, immoral, graphic content and sexually depraved.
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, 2000	Marjane Satrapi	The book and film are banned in Iran. It is a graphic memoir of growing up during the Iranian Revolution. It was also banned in Chicago schools in 2013 for children from the seventh grade for graphic language and images. This prompted widespread criticism and protests and the move was later backtracked on. However, although it is sanctioned for school libraries, it is not for the lower grades. The exact reason for the ban does remain unclear (teachers can still use the book though apparently only with special training).
A Wrinkle in Time, 1962	Madeleine L’Engle	Has spent the last few decades in the top 100 banned/challenged books in America. Campaigns against the book have been mainly from conservative Christian groups which focus on it containing magical elements, its depiction of religion and that it attempts to undermine religious beliefs.
A Day in the Life of Marion Bundo, 2018	Jill Twiss	Number two in the 2018 top challenged books in America. It is a children’s illustrated book which has been banned and challenged for including LGBTQ+ content, political and religious viewpoints.
The Hate U Give, 2017	Angie Thomas	Number four in the 2018 top (and one of the top in 2017) challenged books in America. This is a young adult novel, written in reaction to the shooting of Oscar Grant. Deemed anti-cop and challenge for profanity, drug use and sexual references.

Barriers to Accessing Mental Health Services – Report and Our Response

3 July 2019

Nottingham Women’s Centre ran a focus group to collect the experiences of survivors of sexual violence and/or domestic violence who have accessed mental health services in Nottingham. The aim of the focus group was to identify the key barriers accessing mental health support after surviving domestic and/or sexual abuse in order to improve our services and shape our policy and campaigning work.

Our response to the key findings and recommendations from the report can be found towards the end of this blog.

Key findings

1. There can be long waiting times to access NHS mental health services.

Some women waited up to six months for counselling and specialist sexual violence counselling.

2. Mental health services can be poorly advertised.

Some mental health services are not well advertised and finding out how to access those services can be very challenging. This resulted in some women only becoming aware of the support that’s available once they are in crisis, even if the support is available in their neighbourhood and takes self-referrals.

3. There’s a lack of support for women in crisis.

One woman was sent 150 miles away from Nottingham for emergency mental health support as there were no available beds locally. Most women experienced inadequate support from Crisis Teams and felt there was poor support after being discharged from inpatient mental health care.

4. Women’s Centres can help women report domestic violence and sexual violence and build confidence through volunteering.

Women’s Centre can help identify DV/SV and support women to report. Further volunteering and training opportunities within the women’s sector were deemed an important part of some women’s journeys to healing and empowerment.

5. Isolation can stop women from reaching out for help.

Isolation, anxiety, and/or depression were highlighted by nearly all the women as a major barrier to reporting; they can make women feel unable to leave the house, make contact with strangers or try anything new. This can make some Mental Health Support services inaccessible and stops some women from reporting abuse.

6. Peer support groups

Peer support groups were identified as highly effective methods of support, from the initial helpline support to in-person support groups and ongoing volunteering opportunities.

7. Historical mistrust of Police and social services

There is some mistrust of Nottinghamshire Police and social services relating to historical mistreatment, although there’s an acknowledgement that Nottinghamshire Police and mental health services in general have considerably improved in recent years.

8. Disability, age, and drug addiction can be barriers to accessing mental health services

Disabled women can struggle to access mental health services as they are isolated, older women can feel embarrassed or worried to ask for help. Drug addiction can be a major barrier to accessing the support that’s necessary for recovery and empowerment.

9. Services didn’t always understand carers/supporters

Some women felt that some mental health services were not equipped to support women with caring or ‘supporting’ responsibilities. For example, they felt mental health support professionals did not understand when they had to change their appointments at short notice because of the person they cared for/supported.

Key recommendations based on findings

Invest in mental health services to reduce waiting times for talking therapies

Nearly all the focus group participants reported a delay in accessing talking therapy, which was a key part of their recovery. Women wanted further investment in talking therapies and mental health services in general, and they wanted the services to be better advertised so it’s easier to access talking therapies before crisis point.

“Listen to us rather than make the decision for us, we don’t get any say”

Continue to work to build trust with women through meaningful consultation with service users, transparent practices and acknowledgement of how things have gone wrong in the past.

“Network support makes all the difference”

Continue funding and developing specialist peer support groups in relation to domestic violence and sexual violence, and continued development of volunteering opportunities as part of the recovery and empowerment. Isolation can be a major barrier to accessing support and help; Women’s Centres were flagged as a key part in women’s journeys from abuse to empowerment.

“Start early”

There’s was a lot of support for investing in early prevention. Working in schools “preparing girls to say no and preparing boys to respect girls”. The women wanted children to be taught what abusive and unhealthy relationships look like, how to deal with emotions and they wanted girls to have their self-worth built at school.

Nottingham Women’s Centres’ response to the Recommendations

Invest in MHS to reduce waiting times for talking therapies

Renew aims to address the gap in services between women assessed as too ‘complex’ for primary mental health support such as IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) services but also not considered high risk enough for referral to secondary mental health services. Women are often referred to these services, with waiting times for each, only to discover that their needs do not match the service criteria.

Even when appropriately referred, women are often waiting up to 18 months for treatment to start.

Waiting time for a Renew counselling assessment is approx 8 weeks, clients are then allocated and typically offered a first counselling appointment within 4 weeks, sometimes faster if the client has flexible availability.

Renew is aware of these difficulties in accessing services for all women but in particular those experiencing multiple disadvantage. We have made a number of changes our referral processes and service provision to reflect this.

Simple, user led referral system – We no longer accept referrals from professionals and agencies, instead advocating signposting and self-referral. Women are welcome to attend the centre with a support worker if this makes access easier. This is designed to improve waiting times but also to reduce cancellations and DNA’s Women take more ownership of their engagement with us when initiated by them and are more likely to engage.
Responding to need – We are flexible in our approach to need and offer a triage system. Clients who are experiencing crisis or have long histories of high risk and or/multiple disadvantage are offered short term work with experienced therapist while on the waiting list for long term counselling. We are also able to offer them holistic support through wider services at the centre and respond immediately to crisis with caseworker support where needed. Women can access supportive and therapeutic groups, courses and activities and drop in at any time. We also have an access fund available on a discretionary basis which aims to address barriers women have in accessing counselling i.e. childcare, travel costs
Increased capacity – To address the high number of women seeking mental health support we have increased the counselling team, employing a large team of counsellors both paid and volunteer, with varying levels of approach and experience, allowing us to allocate according to need and manage higher risk clients. Many of our clients are seeking support whilst on waiting lists for other services such as NSVSS and Personality Disorder Network. We have increased our paid staff from one to three, allowing us to support a growing number of volunteers to safely work with the more complex presentations we are encountering due to the pressure on NHS services and resultant waiting times.

“Listen to us rather than make the decision for us, we don’t get any say”

Renew offers Humanistic counselling which differs greatly from the Cognitive Behavioural approaches which are available through GP referral such IAPT services. We aim for this to be a transparent and collaborative process from the start which welcomes feedback and client involvement. We ask for feedback as part of our assessment process, during the counselling process and at the end of counselling.

Whilst being mindful of research fatigue and ethical practice, we offer a number of ways in which clients can participate in evaluation of our services. Alongside NWC’s general service user feedback, Renew collects distance travelled measures and the opportunity to give case studies and ‘story based’ feedback. We encourage a culture of accountability to our clients with robust complaints procedures and prompt response to enquiries.

We aim to have a centre wide group – ‘Friends of NWC’ which will be a vehicle for regular feedback on our performance and a place where women have used Renew can effect change to the service.

“Network support makes all the difference”

We deliver several peer support groups at the centre aimed at multiple disadvantage and mental health. While not exclusively DVSA focussed, the majority of our participants have experienced DVSA and have been signposted to us from other projects within the centre or from DVSA services.
We have good relationships with DVSA agencies and referral/signposting takes place in both directions, in line with our holistic approach to women’s needs.
We recognise the effects of isolation on mental health and are flexible in the ways that women can access our services. Our peer support coordinator offers one to one meetings prior to groups when appropriate to help settle anxiety and overcome barriers. We signpost to wider NWC services for wraparound support wherever possible.
Our Peer Support and volunteer counsellors are offered regular DVSA training
We value lived experience and actively promote growth and development through peer support volunteering and an extensive volunteer programme

“Start early”

Renew offers services to women aged 18 and over. We have good relationships with the Stronger Families Team who signpost women to our service upon completion of their programme which supports positive parenting and awareness of the effects of DVSA on children

Case study:

This story shows a woman’s journey from being in an abusive relationship to full recovery. This woman is now in full-time employment, feels empowered and happy again:

“I was unemployed, living with an abusive partner, and feeling that I was” going crazy”.

I had had depression in the past, but had stopped my medication some months before moving in with him, as I felt that I had recovered.

I was new in Nottingham and had no friends, therefore I registered with a new GP and explained that I couldn’t understand what was happening with my mental health.

After a few questions, he just suggested to give me some antidepressants. I didn’t accept and I self-referred myself to talking therapy with Insight, but the waiting time after the initial assessment was long. Again, they weren’t able to identify what my real problem was.

Doing some internet research, I found the Women’s Centre address, and one day I just walked in and started crying not being able to talk.

However, they gave me the space and time to calm down and talk about my feelings. Within the same day, the helped me understand that I was being psychologically abused and signposted me to Women’s Aid.

I had a case worker who was very supportive and helped realised that I had to leave my partner. She was also very good at warning me that the violence could increase as I would try to leave him. Indeed, I had to report him to the Police for hitting me, and the Police escorted me to the flat we were living in, so that I could take my things safely.

The Women’s Centre allowed me to join some activities, which helped me not to feel completely alone and isolated.

I did some talking therapy and a few months later I could do long term counselling at the Women’s Centre.

This was the key to my recovery and I can only talk about it thanks to all that process of healing and empowerment.”