New Morecambe community group aims to bring women together

Woven Women Collective was founded by Jess Stewart and Becky West, who originally met around 15 years ago through their children.

"We became very close friends and, because we lived near each other, were always in and out of each other’s houses,” they said.

"Life took us in different directions for a few years, but we’ve recently reconnected.”

That reconnection started when Becky posted a video about feeling stressed with running her café, The Salty Bean in Morecambe.

Jess had recently trained in massage and was completing case studies for her new business, Northern Shore, so reached out and offered Becky a free massage.

"We’ve been so busy with everything since that the massage still hasn’t actually happened!” they said.

The idea for Woven Women originally came from Jess feeling a little lonely and disconnected.

On paper, life was incredibly busy and full, but there was still a feeling that something was missing – that sense of genuine connection with other women.

Jess put a post on her Northern Shore social media asking if any women fancied meeting for a walk along Morecambe promenade.

There was no grand plan behind it; it was simply an invitation to get outside, walk, talk and connect.

"Twelve women came along to that first walk, with another lady catching up with us afterwards for coffee,” Jess said.

The response made them realise that Jess clearly wasn’t the only woman who had been craving that kind of connection.

“From there, the ideas just kept coming,” they said. “We decided that rather than the walks being attached to Jess’s Northern Shore massage business or Becky’s Salty Bean café, we wanted to create something completely separate that belonged to the community.

"That’s how Woven Women Collective was born.”

Woven Women is for women of all ages and backgrounds.

You don’t have to arrive with a friend, you don’t have to be particularly confident or outgoing, and you don’t have to fit into any particular box.

"Our main aim is simply connection,” the pair said. “We want to create welcoming spaces where women can meet other women, make friendships, have fun, talk, get outside and feel part of something.

“Loneliness doesn’t always look like being physically alone. You can have children, a job, family and a very busy life and still feel isolated or as though you’ve lost some connection with yourself and other women. We want Woven Women to help bridge that gap.

“Accessibility is really important to us too, so we want to provide a mixture of free, low cost and subsidised activities wherever possible.”

Jess and Becky already have plenty of ideas for future activities with the group, but are also open to suggestions.

"We really want Woven Women to evolve according to what local women actually want and need,” they said.

"We’ve already got lots of ideas, including our larger community walks, smaller quieter walks, pram-friendly walks, coffee and chat sessions, games nights, girls’ nights, silent discos and guest speakers.

"We’re also exploring ways that we could create safe, positive opportunities for teenage girls to connect in the future.

“Some events will simply be about getting together and having fun, while others might provide opportunities for conversation, wellbeing, learning or support.

“We’d welcome women to suggest ideas. This isn’t supposed to be Jess and Becky deciding what everybody else needs – we want the women who join us to help shape Woven Women too.”

The pair are currently in the process of establishing Woven Women as a Community Interest Company (CIC) rather than a charity.

This means it will exist for community benefit and will allow them to apply for suitable grants and funding.

“We’re not setting this up to generate profit from the women attending,” they said. “Any funding or income from events will help us develop the project, cover the costs involved in running activities and, importantly, make events as accessible as possible.

“For example, funding could allow us to provide free or subsidised activities and refreshments, bring in guest speakers, run more community sessions and reach women who might otherwise struggle to access these kinds of opportunities.”

The next Woven Women community walk is this Sunday, September 13, meeting at 9am at Happy Mount Park and walking along the promenade towards Morecambe Clock Tower, followed by coffee at Grow Kitchen.

A Girls’ Night In is arranged for Friday October 9 at The Salty Bean, which had all 20 places reserved within 24 hours and now has a waiting list.

On October 24 they’re holding a Silent Disco, which has also completely sold out. Around 60 women are expected in total, including Jess and Becky and volunteer marshals.

"The response to this one has been amazing and has reinforced what we discovered after that very first walk – there is a genuine appetite locally for fun, welcoming ways for women to meet and connect,” they said.

"The speed at which events such as the Girls’ Night In and Silent Disco have filled up has really surprised us.

"Woven Women is still very new, but the response has shown us just how much women in the area seem to want these opportunities for friendship, fun and connection.

“Ultimately, Woven Women isn’t really about any one particular event. Whether it’s a walk, a coffee, a games night, a silent disco or something completely different, it’s about creating safe spaces for to women to relax, connect and enjoy themselves.

"All of our events will be sober as we are both champions of real and authentic connection and feel sober events are the best way to bring this to people.”

And for anyone wondering where the name Woven Women came from…

“We loved the idea of every woman being an individual thread,” Jess and Becky said. “We all come with our own stories, experiences, strengths, struggles and different paths through life.

"On our own, each of us is a single thread, but when women come together and connect, those individual threads begin to weave together.

“And just like fabric, when those threads are woven together, they become something stronger, more beautiful and more resilient than any one thread could be alone.

“That’s what we want Woven Women to represent, individual women coming together, forming connections, supporting one another and creating a strong, colourful fabric of community.

“Every woman brings her own thread. Together, we weave something beautiful.”

Anyone who would like more information can contact Woven Women Collective on Facebook or Instagram.

There’s also a Whatsapp group that anyone interested can be added to.