A CHARITY created as a safe haven for women is celebrating a funding windfall that will bolster its burgeoning business ambitions.

Just for Women has received £620 from Stanley Town Council to purchase machinery and materials to support the Crafting to Wellness group over the coming year.

The new strategic small grants pot, worth £35,000, was launched earlier in the year and is geared towards supporting smaller projects via a simple bidding process.

The award will help the organisation, which last year moved into a new headquarters at St Joseph’s House, near Stanley Police Station, commercialise the craft products, that include dolls, bedding and a host of other soft furnishings, produced at its Stanley base.

Just for Women director Lestryne Tweedy said: “The council has been an incredible source of support for Just for Women since we were established, most notably last year when it paid £190,000 for the St Joseph’s House building to allow us to continue delivering the vital support we do to vulnerable people in and around the town.

“This money from the Strategic Grant Fund will allow us to further develop the high-quality products being produced by the Crafting to Wellness group, which has helped many women and some men unearth talents that many didn’t know they had and turn it into a successful commercial venture.

“This fund is exactly what Stanley needs. It’s quick and easy to apply, very little bureaucracy and, once approved, the funding arrives amazingly quickly.”

Just for Women has helped countless women, and a rising number of men, find their feet following abusive relationships, mental illness, homelessness and any other issue impacting negatively upon their lives.

Stanley Councillor Carole Hampson, said: “It has been helping some of the most vulnerable people in and around Stanley not only find a safe haven, but providing them with access training opportunities that have created jobs, improved mental health issues and given people a purpose in life.”