By founder Jacqui Lewis
S.H.E. UK has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 1998, when a small group of survivors came together with a shared goal, to support one another and create change. What started as "Survivors Helping Each Other" has since evolved into a professional, specialist organisation providing life-changing support to survivors of childhood sexual abuse and sexual violence.
Read more about the history of S.H.E. UK from our founder Jacqui Lewis, in her own words.
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The early days: A vision for change
The first time I deliberately set out to meet another person who had also been sexually abused as a child was in 1996; we were receiving our therapy from the same person and were both struggling with similar problems and feeling isolated. This may seem simplistic, but it was a keystone to the emergence of S.H.E., originally named ‘Survivors Helping Each Other’.
Initially, we researched what was specifically available to survivors besides therapy; in the process we were shocked to discover the number of people who had been victims; at the time, 1 in 4 of both men and women, and just how devastating and life impacting this could be. Stigma and shame kept them silent. If as children they had tried to tell, they were ignored or not believed.
The only kind of support available was counselling/ therapy once a week (if you were lucky enough to be offered this or knew where to get it) but, when you are in a constant state of crises there are other things you need; finding out you are not alone to name but one, which is where self-help comes in.
An introductory meeting of S.H.E. was held on August 8th 1998 in Newark, facilitated by the Co-Ordinator of ISAS - Incest and Sexual Abuse Survivors; a charity offering therapy for sexual abuse survivors. Six women attended this meeting. The co-ordinator would become the point of contact by phone for the self-help group, but we would have to run it ourselves. We had no funds or experience in running a group, only a desire to change things for child victims today and get better help for adult survivors.
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Building support through creativity and community
Newark and Sherwood Council allowed us the use of a room for free for our weekly meetings; the venue was only disclosed to members who had been assessed, ground rules were set, including members must have already received at least six months’ worth of therapy. Meetings were held every Friday with a 50p donation from each person to cover tea and coffee.
The first Creative Therapy Group started on 5th February 1999, as a twelve-week ‘taster’, the £1000 grant for the sessional therapist and materials being accessed through the Volunteer Bureau. This ‘taster’ was to become the launch pad for what would eventually become S.H.E. UK. The group was based on the work of Natalie Rogers, a distinguished psychotherapist and trained professional in Expressive Arts Therapy, and daughter of Carl Rogers.
By December of that year, Newark Town Hall was the venue for the First Survivor Art exhibition in the town, ‘The Closed Door’. One visitor's comment compared our artwork to that he had seen from the Holocaust survivors in the Netherlands. Our aim had been to raise awareness of child abuse by displaying its impact in art form, and hopefully towards prevention and for us to put aside fear and reclaim our voices.
Group members wanted the Creative Group to continue so everyone committed to running a tombola on a busy Saturday in December in the centre of Newark dressed in Christmas themed costumes, handing out S.H.E. leaflets along with the tickets; one member dressed as a sheep had a trail of small children trying to pull her tail. Fearful of the public exposure at first, but determined nonetheless, they raised £500 which paid the next term's therapist fees.
As a result of the exhibition and a one-day workshop by a singer/songwriter funded, through Newark and Sherwood Council, a poetry book - ‘The Closed Door and Beyond’ - was published with Millennium funds accessed through a National Mind grant. A copy of this went to libraries across Nottinghamshire.
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Growth, recognition and becoming a charity
Over the first eight years S.H.E. was lucky to access a brilliant variety of workshops free of charge, creating an ongoing calendar of events including art-based activities like silk painting, clay-work, stained glass, wood carving, photography, drumming, writing, dance and movement, yoga and tai chi provided by New Perspectives, Next Stage, Dance4, the Domestic Violence Forum and Newark and Sherwood strategic arts officers. These brought women together from all levels of society who had previously only had their abuse as a common denominator; they learnt what it might have been like to live with support and without fear. Women travelled long distances to become part of these workshops.
The most significant change for S.H.E. came in 2001 when it became a registered charity. We joined The Leagues of Hospital and Community Friends now known as ATTEND for the support they offered us running the charity and learning about the roles and responsibilities of trustees.
We moved into our first office on Northgate in Newark in June 2003 and employed our first paid worker to do office administration, up until that point everything was done by our members as volunteers operating from my home.
By 2010, we had a team of seven paid workers and the focus was more as a service provider than a self-help group. As the years have passed, the name changed reflecting the nature of the work being done ‘Supporting, Healing and Educating’, as the organisation evolved.
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A new era: Expanding our reach
In 2013, we appointed our first CEO - taking on the challenging role of stabilising and expanding the work of S.H.E. UK. We relocated the base to Mansfield in April of 2014.
Today, S.H.E. UK offers a range of specialist support services and has a dedicated team of highly trained professionals working both with clients and supporting the training of new therapists. It is a member of the BACP adhering to their standards and ethical framework.
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Looking ahead: 2025 and beyond
We are now in 2025, and our services are in demand more than ever. We have exciting challenges ahead of us, as we become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) with a brand-new charity number but continue to offer the transformational support to help survivors on their healing journey.
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Your Support Can Make a Difference
As a small charity, we rely on grants, fundraising, and the generosity of our supporters to keep our services running. It costs £250,000 per year to provide specialist therapy, support groups, and outreach services to survivors. Every donation, no matter the size, helps us to continue our vital work.
If you believe in a world where survivors have access to the support they need, please consider making a donation. Your generosity can help someone take their first steps towards healing.
👉 Donate today: https://localgiving.org/charity/she-uk
Thank you for standing with us. 💙
