YWCA Yorkshire Shortlisted for Doncaster Charity of the Year Award
YWCA Yorkshire's Green Gables project has been shortlisted for the prestigious Doncaster Chamber of Commerce Charity of the Year Award.
The annual award ceremony, held in December, celebrates Doncaster’s business success stories, third sector partnerships, and raises awareness of the projects delivering real impact for local people. Specifically, YWCA Yorkshire’s Charity of the Year Award, recognises the specialist services delivered by Green Gables to support women, children and families to create better futures in the region. The nomination celebrates Green Gables’ outstanding provision of safe places to live and vital resources for those escaping domestic abuse, sexual exploitation, and homelessness in Doncaster.
Over 12 months, Green Gables supported 161 adults and 356 children in Doncaster. The expert team work with people in their own homes through community outreach, and in safe housing provided by YWCA Yorkshire in partnership with Together Housing. The core Green Gables building in Mexborough includes eight self-contained flats, housing young women and their children, who benefit from on-site support from Project Workers and the use of shared community spaces for group sessions.
The families served by Green Gables are some of the most vulnerable in Doncaster. A recent report highlighted that 68% of women supported experienced domestic abuse, and 60% had faced sexual exploitation or violence. Additionally, 77% were living with significant mental health challenges. Despite these hurdles, with the right support, families have achieved remarkable outcomes. One hundred percent of women supported by Green Gables report improvements in mental health and 91% go on to maintain stable housing.
The Green Gables team are deeply embedded in the communities they support, working in partnership with private business, charity and local groups across the city to advocate for families and deliver real change.
YWCA Yorkshire Chief Executive, Diane Offers, said: "Green Gables is more than a housing and support service—it’s been a voice for women who have been silenced by the systems that have failed them for over 20 years. We work with partners across Doncaster to make sure that the challenges our communities face are understood better, and that people's lived experiences are listened to when services like ours are being designed.
“Only by listening to the people who have been affected by poverty, violence, abuse and homelessness, can we deliver change. Recognition from organisations like the Doncaster Chamber of Commerce, helps us to shine a light on the challenges our communities are facing, and celebrate the incredible partnerships we have built in Doncaster to support people up and out of un-safe situations.”
A key initiative highlighted in the award submission is the YWCA Listening Project, which collaborated with local author Rachel Bower to produce a book of poems and stories written by residents from Green Gables. The YWCA Listening Project gave women a platform to share their experiences with others, with one young person noting, "This is the first time I've felt heard."
Green Gables Project Manager, Stacey Lynn, said: "We are proud of the work we do, and we welcome the opportunity to celebrate it with the Doncaster Chamber of Commerce. We work with families to build community, connection and opportunity. The people we support often don’t have wrap-around care from friends and family. Part of our role is to model what those types of supportive relationships can look and feel like. By partnering with businesses who fundraise and volunteer with us, we're able to create moments of joy for families, celebrate important festivals and give young families experiences that they otherwise wouldn't have because of the many barriers to access they face.”
Green Gables works with the private businesses and local services across health, education, criminal justice, housing, and social care. This joined up approach has been integral to the success of YWCA Yorkshire in Doncaster for the last 21 years.
Green Gables believe that winning the Charity of the Year Award in 2025, would not only honour the outstanding work of staff, volunteers and partners across Doncaster, but also send a powerful message of hope to the communities they serve.