Cambridge Women's Resources Centre

What Cambridge Women's Resources Centre does

Cambridge Women's Resources Centre (CWRC) is a UK-registered charity and company limited by guarantee (Charity No. 801240) founded in 1982 that provides free, trauma-informed support services for women across Cambridgeshire facing multiple, interconnected challenges including domestic abuse, poor mental health, poverty, housing insecurity, social isolation, involvement with the criminal justice system, and refugee or asylum-seeking status. Its integrated service portfolio comprises the Freedom Programme (a 12-week domestic abuse recovery course), the Domestic Abuse Recovery Toolkit, the NHS England-funded Thrive programme for women involved with the criminal justice system, one-to-one casework support, free trauma-informed counselling, housing and benefits advice, ESOL and language classes, creative health activities (yoga, art, sewing, crochet), and a Free Shop distributing clothing and essentials. CWRC operates two physical centres - its Cambridge headquarters, relocating in August 2025 from Sturton Street to larger premises at 2-4 Hawthorn Way, and a Peterborough centre reopened in March 2025 after extensive renovations - using an open-access referral model that accepts both self-referrals via online forms and professional referrals from NHS mental health services, social care, police, probation, and GPs.

The organisation's business model is a multi-source charitable funding stack rather than a commercial revenue model: all services are free at point of access, with income derived from grants and contracts from statutory bodies (NHS England, National Lottery Community Fund, Cambridge City Council) and charitable foundations (The Evelyn Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation, Cambridgeshire Community Foundation), supplemented by individual donations, corporate giving (ARM Cambridge, LUSH, Hey Girls), community fundraising events (Cambridge Beer Festival 2024 raising £19,000; Big Give Women and Girls Campaign 2025 raising approximately £10,836), monthly JustGiving giving, and legacy gifts. Leadership comprises CEO Harriet Morgan (three-year tenure during which beneficiary numbers grew from 191 to 598) and a Board of Trustees chaired since 2024 by Sarah Johnson. No proprietary technology, app, or digital platform is disclosed; the operating model is fundamentally in-person and human-delivered, with a website and online referral forms serving as the only documented digital infrastructure.

Name

Cambridge Women's Resources Centre

Legal name

Cambridge Women's Resources Centre

Website

https://cwrc.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cambridge Women's Resources Centre is a 1982-founded UK charity providing free, trauma-informed counselling, domestic abuse recovery programmes, advice, creative health activities, and essentials to women facing complex challenges across Cambridgeshire via centres in Cambridge and Peterborough.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Women's Community Support Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services (BPAGAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Protection Services (GBV, Child Protection, Safeguarding) (BPADAHAF)

Keywords

• Women's support services
• Domestic abuse recovery
• Trauma-informed counselling
• Community women's centre
• Charity social support

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: CWRC receives funding from statutory bodies and charitable foundations including NHS England, National Lottery Community Fund, NHS England, The Evelyn Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation, Cambridgeshire Community Foundation, and others. These grants fund specific programs and services.
2. Donations and Fundraising: The charity receives donations from individuals, community groups, and corporate partners. Fundraising activities include the Cambridge Beer Festival (£19,000 raised in 2024), Big Give campaigns, charity places in events like the Cambridge Half Marathon, and regular monthly giving through JustGiving.
3. Legacy Gifts: CWRC accepts legacy gifts through wills to ensure long-term sustainability and support for future women.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CWRC provides free, trauma-informed support services for women in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, including a 12-week Freedom Programme for domestic abuse recovery, the Domestic Abuse Recovery Toolkit follow-on programme, the Thrive programme for women involved with the criminal justice system, one-to-one casework support, housing and benefits advice, free counselling, group activities (ESOL, yoga, art, sewing), and a Free Shop distributing clothing and toiletries. All services are delivered free at point of access through physical centres and referral pathways.

Product overview

Cambridge Women's Resources Centre operates as a single women's support centre offering an integrated portfolio of services organized around three interconnected areas: Safety & Recovery, Advice & Advocacy, and Wellbeing & Connection. The core offerings include the Freedom Programme (12-week domestic abuse recovery course), the Domestic Abuse Recovery Toolkit (follow-on programme), Thrive (criminal justice system support), One-to-One casework support, housing and benefits advice, a Free Shop for clothing and essentials, counselling services, and various group activities including ESOL classes, art, yoga, sewing, and Chat Cafe sessions. These services work together to provide holistic, trauma-informed support for women facing multiple disadvantages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Freedom Programme A 12-week course for women who have been subjected to domestic abuse, providing recovery support and group sessions focused on safety, confidence, and understanding the impact of abuse. Delivered free at point of access.
• Domestic Abuse Recovery Toolkit A follow-on programme to the Freedom Programme offering up to six months of group support focused on safety, confidence and understanding the impact of abuse, for women who have experienced domestic abuse.
• Thrive Health and wellbeing support programme for women involved with the Criminal Justice System, providing holistic support including mental health services, drug and alcohol assistance, meaningful activities (yoga, sewing, art), and practical help with housing, literacy, employment, benefits and grants. Funded by NHS England.
• One-to-One Support Personalised casework support from a named CWRC Worker for planning and assistance with housing, literacy, employment, benefits, and grants. Available to women engaged across CWRC's programmes including Thrive.
• Housing and Benefits Advice Advice and advocacy services to help women navigate housing systems, access benefits, and prevent or relieve homelessness. Provided free at point of access.
• CWRC Free Shop Provides free pre-loved women's clothes, shoes, new toiletries, books, period products, condoms, and small homeware items to women experiencing financial hardship, while reducing textile waste. Distributed 395kg of clothing to women in 2024-25.
• Counselling Service Free, trauma-informed counselling for women who would otherwise go without support, providing a safe, consistent space to process experiences and find stability. Delivered by MBACP-accredited counsellors.
• Group Activities and ESOL Classes Group activities including Chat Café for English language practice, Art Group, Yoga for relaxation, Sewing Make and Mend, crochet sessions, and ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes to help women learn new skills and reduce isolation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 87% of women report improved mental health and wellbeing
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• Cambridge Beer Festival / CAMRAcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024CWRC was the nominated charity for Cambridge Beer Festival 2024, raising £19,000. CAMRA provided the platform for community fundraising and awareness, with Displayways providing materials.
• Murray Edwards College, CambridgestrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCWRC women collaborated with Murray Edwards College on textile workshops with a local artist, creating a quilt for the 'Sleepers' exhibition displayed alongside Tracey Emin and Helen Cammouk works.
• Cambridge AidstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership enabling CWRC to refer women for hardship grants, furniture, school uniforms and other essential items.
• Jimmy's CambridgeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHomeless shelter that can accept men's clothing donations when CWRC has surplus or doesn't need certain items.
• Women's AidstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational domestic abuse charity with Cambridge branch; CWRC provides recovery support while Women's Aid provides specialist casework and IDVA services, with cross-referrals between organisations.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Crisis: National homelessness charity combining advice, casework, education and wellbeing support for people in housing crisis; comparable to CWRC's housing-advice, Free Shop and one-to-one casework offer, though CWRC serves women only.
• Mind: Major UK mental health charity offering information, support and counselling across many population groups; broader in scope than CWRC but overlaps directly on the counselling, wellbeing and self-referral service lines.
• Citizens Advice: National network providing free, impartial advice on benefits, housing, employment and debt; directly comparable to CWRC's benefits and housing advice streams, and a relevant benchmark for Advice Quality Standard accreditation.
• Victim Support: Independent charity supporting victims of crime with practical and emotional help; comparable to CWRC's work with abuse survivors and women involved in the criminal justice system (Thrive programme) at a national level.

Direct peers

• Refuge: One of the UK's largest specialist domestic abuse charities, providing refuge accommodation, advocacy and recovery support; directly comparable to CWRC's domestic-abuse recovery, casework and counselling services, though operating nationally rather than regionally.
• Women's Aid Federation of England: National umbrella and direct delivery charity for domestic abuse services across England; CWRC is an active cross-referral partner with the Cambridge branch, making it the closest national analogue to CWRC's Freedom Programme and abuse-recovery model.
• Rape Crisis England & Wales: National federation of Rape Crisis Centres providing specialist trauma-informed support for women and girls who have experienced sexual violence; directly comparable in its trauma-informed, women-only therapeutic and advocacy service model to CWRC's counselling and recovery toolkit.
• Southall Black Sisters: Specialist women's centre offering advice, advocacy and counselling for Black, minority and migrant women facing abuse and inequality; highly comparable to CWRC's combination of practical advice, advocacy and counselling for women facing multiple disadvantage.
• Women's Trust: London charity providing free counselling and group support for women affected by domestic abuse and other forms of gender-based harm; mirrors CWRC's trauma-informed counselling and group-work model and its single-centre service model.
• Solace Women's Aid: London-based charity providing domestic abuse and sexual violence support, advocacy and refuges; closely comparable in mission and service mix (advice, advocacy, recovery programmes) to CWRC, though focused on the capital.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cambridgewrs

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cambridge Women's Resources Centre