WHAT IS EMPOWER?

Empower is a unique, non-profit making company based in Plymouth, Devon, offering a range of health-related services for women. 

Our services are FREE for women: who have fled domestic abuse; women from sanctuaries; refuges, and safe-houses.

We pride ourselves on making our services accessible to all, regardless of circumstance, and we offer subsidised/funded spaces to low-income families and those in times of financial hardship.

There's an increase in demand for our services locally and the amount of women needing our help is beyond our current capacity.

The Empower programs offer fitness and rehabilitation for pre & postnatal women with unmet crucial health needs. We improve their physical, emotional and mental health, enabling them to rebuild their strength through training & education.

There are no other groups in the area offering this type of support.

We are all about women supporting women, because empowered women, empower women!

As well as improving women's health, Empower also provides a social platform for meeting other mums, reducing loneliness, building friendships, and establishing a support network. 

We pride ourselves on never turning anyone away, but we can't continue to do that without your help. 

The impact that our programs have on women and their families is immeasurable, literally turning their lives around. The ripple effect that has on their children and families is wonderful! It's unbelievably rewarding and drives us to keep Empower's services going, to reach as many people as possible. 

That's where we need you...

We will use any money raised to keep Empower's services available to everyone.  

It will also fund projects to expand and develop Empower to eventually make us self-sustainable and not reliant upon grant funding.

The money will enable us to:

• Offer our services for FREE to women who have fled domestic violence, from sanctuaries, refuges & safe houses.
• Offer part-funded/subsidised spaces for women who need it.
• Provide ALL women access to specialist treatment, such as physiotherapy, counselling, trauma focussed/somatic based therapy, mental health support such as clinical psychology including treatments such as EMDR and hypnotherapy, gynaecology and specialist support for women who have lost babies.
• Expand/improve and continue to update our online programs, to reach more women not just locally, but nationally and internationally.
• Run more FREE clinics, events and workshops.
• Train more staff to enable us to provide more sessions at more locations with a variety of times.
• Pay/Reward our current volunteers for their hard work
• Launch our Podcast series
• Raise our profile through marketing and promotion to make women aware of our services.

And more! We have an ever-expanding list of ideas and we can't wait to see them come to life.

We have numerous testimonials from women, professionals and families - please scroll down or check out our website if you'd like to read more.

HOW EMPOWER STARTED.....

My name is Sher and I started Empower after my own personal experience. I was a Fitness Instructor and a very active person when I fell pregnant.  Due to a condition that I developed called Pelvic Girdle Pain (PGP) I became isolated and completely debilitated both physically and mentally during my pregnancy and post-birth. There was little to no help available apart from limited private, expensive treatment and therapy. I simply couldn't afford it whilst on maternity leave.  

This is even more evident for the women (a very high number) who lose their jobs if they develop severe PGP, as they are often left unable to work. Since my own experience I have learnt my situation was not uncommon.

I managed to get myself back on my feet, you can read my blog here for my full story: SPD: My story

I decided that I wanted to do something about the lack of help for women and their families. I couldn't bear the thought of someone going through the same as I did, unnecessarily.

I was initially happy to help and make a difference to one woman. Seeing the impact Empower has, and the difference it makes, I do not want to see any woman suffer unnecessarily, and I will always keep striving to reach as many as possible.

Here are some testimonials...

WHAT FITNESS and HEALTH SERVICES DOES EMPOWER OFFER?

We offer a range of services including:

• PRE & POSTNATAL CLASSES - group sessions to educate; build confidence and begin safe exercises that can be integrated into a home exercise program once the course has finished. These classes offer a lifeline for many women experiencing social isolation and are crucial for maintaining health and fitness throughout pregnancy and into motherhood.
• POSTNATAL RECOVERY PROGRAMS - often women are struggling with postnatal pain and dysfunction, these classes offer a safe space to discuss concerns and to enable ladies to begin a low-impact, safe and progressive return to functional movements post-delivery. Often our women need the support of external services such as specialist physiotherapy and psychology support, which we want to help to fund for those unable to afford it. Education is a huge part of our programs, as often women are unaware of what can be of help to them, and don't know where to start to help themselves.
• ANTENATAL SUPPORT, HEALTH & FITNESS - community ante-natal classes no longer exist in Plymouth and we offer advice and support and a safe space for ladies to continue to stay fit and active for as long as possible up to their birth, and beyond. Exercise classes often exclude pregnant women, and they are left to exercise alone, or often stop exercising all together. We help with nutritional and general health advice and support, which is known to improve outcomes for women and their new babies.
• 1:1 SESSIONS - some women are unable or don't feel comfortable to attend group sessions and we are able to offer support and advice on a 1:1 basis.
• DIASTASIS REHABILITATION - currently an unmet need in the community, we offer exercises and advice for those struggling with a diastsasis post-birth. Teaming up with specialist physiotherapy and midwifery services, we aim to help all women to get back to the level of activity that they wish to post-delivery. It is never too late and we are happy to work with anyone who has had a baby, regardless of how long ago that was.
• CORE STABILITY PROGRAMS
• PGP/SPD SUPPORT, MANAGEMENT, RECOVERY & THERAPY - As with diastasis, many women are left immobile and in pain and unsure where to start. Referring to a specialist physiotherapist and following our bespoke exercises we are able to help ladies to recover from these debilitating conditions, who would otherwise be unable to access exercise classes in the community.
• HELP WITH PELVIC FLOOR FUNCTION - pelvic floor pain and dysfunction are common post delivery, but can be much improved with the right advice, exercises and treatment. We aim to help to return all women to full fitness and to be able to enjoy their lives fully.
• MENOPAUSE HEALTH & FITNESS WORKSHOPS - women shouldn't have to stop exercising when their menopause starts, but it can be an emotional and challenging time. We offer group support to help to increase fitness and wellbeing and to support women to remain fit and healthy forever.
• WOMEN'S SELF-DEFENCE (Offering Free/Funded spaces for survivors of crime and their families)- Sher and her team offer workshops and courses to improve self-confidence and resilience and to learn crucial techniques to be able to defend themselves, if required. 
• PILATES EXERCISES 
• YOGA and YOGA IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES - in the incredible setting of the Dome in Plymouth's Market Hall. Real life images of the Milky Way are set to beautiful music to create a completely unique, empowering and relaxing experience.
• MEDITATION & RELAXATION - guided meditation and relaxation sessions, available as part of the online courses and in-person.
• FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT EXERCISES - focussing on strength needed for daily life.
• STRENGTH & CONDITIONING - 1:1 or group sessions, as required.
• WALK & TALK GROUPS - free for new mums. Often taking place in local parks and by the sea. These sessions are an opportunity and get out and meet other people and to chat about life and being a new mum, whilst getting some fresh air and exercise. 
• SPORTS SPECIFIC STRENGTH & CONDITIONING - on request.

The amount of people these services have the potential to benefit is endless! Here is a more in-depth look at the impact that it will have:

Pre- and post-natal women
Empower welcomes all pre and post-natal women to access their programs, regardless of age, demographic, or financial situation. We have a specific focus on under-supported and deprived areas, to enable women to easily access support and services not currently available to them. We focus on fully funding women from Plymouth Refuge who are vulnerable as a result of their experience of domestic violence and abuse.

The experience of many of these women is that their concerns and questions are ignored, diminished or dismissed within the current NHS healthcare system, leaving them feeling isolated and unsupported – an experience that is often quoted as impacting significantly on their mental health. Many report a lack of information and education about common pre and post-natal issues, including how to avoid or mitigate them through exercise, nutrition and lifestyle changes, and the importance of doing so. Women frequently tell us that they feel their voice is not heard during pregnancy and on their journey into motherhood. This can impact, often severely, on self-confidence, self-worth, motivation and general emotional well-being. We are frequently told of ladies being of the impression that they should simply ‘get on with it’ and that if they can’t, they will be seen as a ‘failure’ as a mum. They are commonly told “everything will be fine” and “it will all return to normal after the baby is born”. Without the proper support, education and opportunity, this is clearly untrue, and the evidence supports this, with an unacceptable incidence of avoidable injuries, complications and associated health issues during pregnancy, childbirth, post-natal recovery and in the longer term.

Many of the women on our programs are living with a range of challenging and sometimes devastating conditions. These include: pelvic girdle pain; diastasis recti; urinary incontinence; pain; loss of mobility; depression; trauma; social anxiety and isolation.

The huge importance of building, maintaining and returning to physical activity and fitness, and its vital connection to and interaction with mental and emotional well-being seems to be widely unrecognised in the medical process.

Our programs fully prepare and equip women with the knowledge and empowerment that they need and deserve to keep or build their fitness, health and physical and mental strength throughout this life-changing process and into the future.

The programs and support that we offer at Empower help women who are aware of the need to maintain physical and mental health and equally those who have been unaware of the information that they needed, or have been unsupported in accessing it, and who have since suffered the consequences of reduced mobility and function.

Babies, children and family units
The health and well-being of a mum impacts hugely on her children and other family members. Many experience the following: To be incapable of carrying your new baby or other young children because you are in severe pain and on crutches with PGP; to be unable to emotionally connect with your new baby because of post-natal depression; to feel like a failure because you are unable to function within your family life due to constant and debilitating pain; to withdraw from social connection because of anxiety, embarrassment and shame about urinary incontinence. All of these can prevent a mum from feeling part of her family, let alone at the heart of it.

None of this should happen and is avoidable. The Empower programs support each woman to find their strength, fitness and health, we know that this in turn has a hugely positive knock-on benefit for her family and her own wellbeing.   Our Active Family program encourages family members to understand and support each other with their fitness and health goals.

Healthcare professionals – NHS and private
Healthcare professionals working within the NHS – midwives, physios, GPs, consultants and surgeons – are all under huge pressure due to inadequate funding, resources and staffing levels. We continue to assess the many ways in which our programs and support for pre- and post-natal women reduce the need for them to add to that pressure. NHS medical staff have attended some of our workshops or clinics and have all asked for exercise-related advice, telling us that they don’t receive adequate training in this area and often lack basic knowledge of our specialism. We know from monitoring and collecting feedback from women and healthcare professionals that we provide significant time and cost savings in terms of avoidable treatment, medication and surgery, now and in the future for the women who benefit from our input. Our growing network of private healthcare professionals and other support organisations will benefit from us identifying and referring women requiring additional support. Likewise, they know and trust our work and feel confident to recommend Empower programs for ongoing and holistic support for women to achieve their full potential for health, strength and fitness, and emotional well-being.

STATEMENT FROM NHS PROFESSIONAL :
"NHS England's long term plan set out a commitment to improve access to perinatal pelvic health to support women who need it to recover from birth and prevent future pelvic health problems.  Devon Perinatal Pelvic Health service (PPHS) are setting up a new service, with over 4,000 births in Plymouth alone and restricted funds we are fully aware we cannot provide care covering all the aspects women are asking for, especially the essential social support and wellbeing that empower clearly have created with their support network.  As part of the development of this service, we are undertaking a baseline survey in order to gain feedback on what Pelvic Health care around birth women have previously received in Devon.  We have noticed a huge amount of positive response around the work Empower do antenatally and postnatally.  

Supporting community groups and nurturing links are crucial to provide better care for women and birthing people across Devon.  As NHS professionals we plan to work with Empower to continue their clinical knowledge and provide consistent evidence based information to further improve the vital support they offer so well.  
One of our targets is to make Pelvic Health more accessible and this is what Empower do really well - they provide care for some of Plymouth's most vulnerable women.  The positive impact that Empower has is inspiring and highlights the need for further Pelvic Health and support for women in the perinatal period and beyond."

Stephanie Armitage - Perinatal Pelvic Health Physiotherapist for Devon PPHS, UHP
Naomi Reeves - Perinatal Pelvic Health Physiotherapist for Devon PPHS, UHP
Lizzie Phillips - Clinical lead of Devon PPHS & Specialist Pelvic Health Midwife at University Hospital Plymouth NHS Trust

Employment
Many mums are working women, their wages often crucial to the family’s financial stability. If we can support the successful recovery and ongoing health of women through our programs, this will inevitably help them to maintain or return to their working life stronger and free from the long-term consequences of avoidable injury and complications and a lack of fitness and health. Employers too will benefit in terms of a reduction in working days lost through women’s incapacity and illness.

If you have read this far, then Thank you! I will conclude here as my passion for what we do means that I could go on forever! Thank you for supporting Empower. Please get in touch if we can help you, or anyone that you know.