Hi, thank you for being here!
Southsea Girls is a vibrant community of local women, from all walks of life, coming together to connect, share stories, and inspire each other through a variety of meet-ups and events hosted in independent venues across Southsea and Portsmouth.
The majority of events take place in venues we exclusively hire in order to add an extra layer of comfort and safety to those who may be feeling nervous about taking that first step.
We proudly hold space for women to meet and socialise, whilst also providing a platform to elevate women’s voices, so we can all work towards a better, fairer and safer future for women.
Who we are
Our founder, Elly Hughes, has been involved in supporting local businesses via her Instagram account @elly.in.southsea for the past three years, and has transferred her event management, marketing and social media experience into building Southsea Girls.
"Earlier this year I popped a post on my page to see if any local women fancied arranging dinner... Within a couple of hours over 100 women had joined the WhatsApp group chat, and it's grown ever since!
I feel so grateful that my work on Instagram has given me so many fantastic business connections in the local area; it only feels right to use that platform to collaborate with venues to offer spaces for the girls to let their hair down without fear for their safety.
More than anything, the sheer impact of our group in such a short space of time, shows just how much something like this was, and continues, to be vital to ending loneliness in women"
In the past month, we have had some incredible girls from the community join the 'behind the scenes' and offer their own skill sets to keep Southsea Girls running; funding would allow us to outsource further support, which would allow us to grow even more!
What do we do?
From coffee mornings and workshops to girl dinner and drinks; Southsea Girls proudly teams up with local business owners to offer a range of interactive events for local women to enjoy, whilst meeting new people.
Our WhatsApp community offers a place for casual chats, recommendations, and support. It's been a sanctuary for many, and has really helped to solidify friendships during a time where it's not always possible to get out and about with the hustle and bustle of life!
Testimonial:
“I am someone who has struggled with confidence in recent years and I can say hand on heart that my confidence in myself has rocketed since I joined this group, it’s a community that provides a feeling of being included and feeling safe which, in a world where women are taught to be fearful of simply walking down the street, it is truly a blessing..” - Bea, Southsea Girl
Our pledge to the local community
We use local and independent venues when hosting coffee mornings, dinners and drinks; this allows us to invest back into local businesses, and drive footfall into hospitality businesses.
As well as this, we host a monthly Southsea Girls market at The Hideaway, Highland Road. This is a fantastic opportunity for women traders to come together, network and make sales; we invite the wider community to join this free event and support their local ladies in business.
We are about to launch a 'Little Treats' scheme which will also allow local businesses to opt-in and offer discounts to those subscribed within our group, in exchange, those businesses will receive regular promotion, and be added to the 'Southsea Girls Map' for places to try out with friends.
Our plans for the future
Southsea Girls has grown so much faster than we could have anticipated; with that in mind, the infrastructure to meet the demand is simply not in place.
We rely on a small team of volunteers to keep things afloat, all of whom have their own full-time jobs and families outside of SG.
We know we've got something really special here, and we'd love to take it to the next level, but with no pre-existing funds, we use ticket sales to cover overheads. We really don't want to have to increase our costs, as that would make Southsea Girls less accessible to women who really need us.
Making a difference
Part of our Southsea Girls mantra is to support women-focused charities both locally, and nationally, in order to drive change, spark important conversations and break down barriers.
This year we have teamed up with Free Flow, a Portsmouth based period poverty project working alongside charities who support people who cannot afford sanitary products.
We also raised over £400 for Portsmouth Pride as part of our Southsea Girls prom in September, an event that was designed to celebrate everything we have achieved over the past eight months.
So, what would funding help us with?
As our group grows, so do the costs associated with it, as well as the time required to co-ordinate the 'behind-the-scenes' event management and admin.
Your pledge will support us by:
- Helping us to continue funding events and meet-ups for local women
- Covering costs of business insurance, website hosting, service fees, and other relevant overheads
- Providing us with a 'kitty' to invest in collaborations and workshops that will allow us to reach more women in the local community, and make a bigger impact.
Longer-term plan:
- Effectively roll out our 'Little Treats' scheme, which allows local businesses to 'opt-in' to offer a 10% discount, or a free coffee every Monday, to the Southsea Girls who subscribe. This is a fantastic way of driving footfall, and revenue into local businesses, whilst helping the girls to save some pennies when hanging out with their new friends!
- Open a Southsea Girls hub that can act as a physical space for women to get sanctuary, have a cuppa, engage in workshops and talks and feel like they are supported.
- Investing in a wider team, and providing employment opportunities within the Southsea Community and beyond.
Where do you come in?
It would mean the world to us if you could support us by investing in the future of Southsea Girls; by doing so, we can confidently say we'll not only be helping women today, but we'll be helping the daughters, and granddaughters of tomorrow.
For the price of a cup of coffee, you're helping us take the first steps towards creating something that will benefit the community for years to come; isn't that marvellous?
If you can't afford to donate, please help us by sharing our page, spreading the word about what we do, and letting local women know that we are here if they need us.
Thank you, so much.