A COMMUNITY centre is celebrating after it has been given backing to continue supporting vulnerable women.

The Well Woman Centre in Leigh delivers courses to women over the age of 18 to help them restore confidence and maintain a positive wellbeing.

Wigan Council’s The Deal for Communities Investment Fund will donate around £76,000 over three years to help the group carry out its work which includes exercise classes such as yoga.

The centre, which was set up in 1991 and won the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2016, supports more than 400 women a year.

Centre manager Lynn Addison said: “This money will help to provide even more opportunities for our service users who may have experienced mental health conditions, domestic abuse or social isolation or are simply looking for friendship.

“Our focus is on improving lives and giving women the information they need to make positive life choices.

"This can be through counselling, crafts, advocacy work or other methods such as the courses we’re looking forward to implementing.

“We’re passionate about women empowering other women and many of our volunteers are previous service users, so we can really tailor support and empathise, which makes all the difference.”

The centre recently marked International Women’s Day with a week of activities including teaching its service-users about the 100th anniversary of women over 30 winning the right to vote.

Cllr Chris Ready, cabinet member for communities at Wigan Council, said: “Physical and mental health work hand in hand, so it is great to hear that the Well Women Centre will use the money to help maintain both.

“The group offers invaluable support to women during transitional periods of their lives and gives them a safe place so they can learn how to re-build confidence or self-esteem in a way that suits them.

“Their work is commendable and their ethos of women supporting each other is extremely poignant, especially as International Women’s Day was not too long ago.”

For more information about the Well Woman Centre, visit wellwomencentre.co.uk.

To find out more about The Deal for Communities Investment Fund, go to wigan.gov.uk/thedeal.