Friday, September 19, 2025
Set up by Fleetwood Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Lizzy Bradley in partnership with the Fleetwood Town Community Trust, the Monday night sessions aim to create a safe space for girls ages 9-16.
They officially begun in September 2024, and over the last 12 months, sessions have run every Monday (except for bank holidays) each with a different activity, but all with the aim of empowering local young girls. In total, over 80 young girls have attended.
Activities have included personal training sessions from local boxing coach Ellie Greenwood, self-confidence bootcamps, a visit to the local darts hub, talks from Lancashire Woman, the Inspiring Leadership Foundation and domestic abuse charity Behind Closed Doors, to name a few.
As the Empower Her Girls' Hub continues to thrive, it has become a valued cornerstone of the community and a standout success among participants.
One attendee declared: “I love girls’ hub because everybody is all included,” supported by another who said: “whenever I feel down, the people and the staff make me feel better and help me.”
One parent has been able to see the positive affect of Girls Hub firsthand: “My daughter has been attending girls hub for a few months and she absolutely loves it, my daughter is a SEN (special educational needs) child and had very little confidence prior to attending the hub, but as a parent I can see that girls hub has given her so much confidence to be herself despite her differences and embrace who she is and to love herself unconditionally.”
PCSO Lizzy Bradley said: “Working alongside partners, I wanted to create a safe space for girls to come and just be themselves. It is hard being a teenage girl and worries in their own personal life can make growing up that bit harder.
“Empower Her is not just about teaching young girls' important skills and lessons, but it is about them feeling like they are able to open and share with us any concerns they feel they can’t tell anyone else.
“I feel so grateful that these sessions have become so well loved in the community and I am fiercely passionate about the project and the girls who attend, and plan to keep the hub going well into the future.”
John Hartley, Chief Executive Officer of the Fleetwood Town Community Trust added:
“The main aim of these sessions is to create a safe and inclusive space for girls in Fleetwood. Not just to allow them to be themselves, but to also offer them new opportunities they might not ordinarily have. By opening the girls up to new experiences, the hope is that we can support them in setting aspirations for their futures in Fleetwood. We want to show them that they can be themselves here and thrive in Fleetwood.
“The partnership between the Trust and the wider Neighbourhood Policing Team is one that has gone from strength to strength, and I can’t rate it enough. This brilliant partnership we now share is not only having a positive impact on the Empower Her group, but other programmes we have running all of which are dedicated to reducing anti-social behaviour, supporting young people and improving the lives of people within the local community.”
The project was initially funded by Lancashire’s Violence Reduction Network (VRN), who work with police and partners across Lancashire to facilitate a system-wide trauma-informed approach to making Lancashire a safer place to live, work and visit.
Chief Inspector Gemma Barr, Operational Lead at the Lancashire Violence Reduction Network said: “We are proud to fund ‘Empower Her’ because it gives young girls in Fleetwood a safe and support space to grow in confidence, build resilience, and develop a strong sense of belonging. Over the past 12 months, thanks to the dedication of PCSO Lizzy Bradley and Fleetwood Town Community Trust, this initiative has gone from strength to strength, engaging positively with the girls it supports and making a real difference in their lives. Initiatives like this not only empower young women as individuals but also strengthen the wider community for the future.”