Nearly £20,000 in funding has been awarded to IAmConfident through the The National Lottery Community Fund.
The Poole-based charity, which supports women in developing confidence, resilience and positive mental health, has received £19,996 to grow its services.
Established in 2019 by Hayley Stephens, IAmConfident was created after she identified a broader community need while managing an outreach programme for survivors of domestic violence and abuse.
Her experience highlighted the importance of helping women strengthen self-belief and emotional wellbeing.
The latest grant will allow the organisation to expand its provision for women aged 18 and over. Plans include increasing the number of weekly sessions and introducing a dedicated group for younger women.
Currently, the charity runs two weekly sessions, each attended by around 25 women. Meetings centre on self-care practices, mindfulness, open conversations about life’s challenges and practical activities.
Participants are invited to engage at their own comfort level and can opt out of any exercise.
With the new funding, sessions will rise to three per week, enabling the programme to reach up to 100 women.
In addition, IAmConfident delivers a year-long “confidence pathway” programme made up of 39 sessions split across three terms. During school holidays, members arrange walks and coffee gatherings to stay connected.
Ms Stephens said: “We’re so grateful for the support of The National Lottery Community Fund that has recognised our work in this way.
“Now, thanks to National Lottery players we will be able to develop more sessions and start another course so we will be running three courses in the local area.
“This is important because it helps us to reach more women and young women in the community that are facing either mental health struggles or challenging life experiences to get back to basics and reset many areas of their lives.”
She also said: “The language we use internally shapes how we see ourselves, how we respond to challenges, and how confident we feel in our ability to move forward.
“At IAmConfident we believe there is real power in the words we speak and the thoughts we repeat to ourselves every day.
“The language we use internally shapes how we see ourselves, how we respond to challenges, and how confident we feel in our ability to move forward.”
The National Lottery Community Fund has recently introduced its new strategy, It starts with community, which sets out plans to distribute at least £4 billion in funding by 2030. In the past year alone, it awarded more than £686 million to projects throughout the UK.