Skip over main navigation
  • Log in
  • Basket: (0 items)
Women's Aid Leicestershire
Quick exit - click here
National 24hr helpline:
0808 2000 247
Local helpline:
0808 80 20 028
Donate
Menu
  • About us
    • Who we are
    • Our mission
    • Work for us
    • Contact us
    • Accreditations
  • Get help
    • Get help now
    • Help someone you know
    • What are the signs?
    • Types of abuse
    • Support for adults
    • Support for children
  • Professionals
    • Core services
    • Refer
    • Professional training
    • Useful links
  • Volunteer
    • Volunteer roles
  • Support us
    • Donate now
    • Fundraising appeals
      • Fundraisers Listing
      • Appeals Listing
    • Fundraise for us
      • Ideas and inspiration
      • Join a fundraising event
      • Current Fundraising Target
    • Campaign for us
  • Stories and events
    • News
    • A case study
    • Events
  • Admin
    • Log in
  • Basket: (0 items)
  • Who we are
  1. About us
  2. Who we are

Who we are

Women’s Aid Leicestershire Limited was established in 1974 when we opened the first refuge in Leicester to support women and children fleeing domestic abuse. Since then we have continued to provide vital assistance to all victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence. Our work continues to be as important now as it was when we first began.

Women's Aid Leicestershire Limited is part of a consortium of three local, specialist providers called United Against Violence & Abuse (UAVA). Alongside FreeVA and Living Without Abuse, we aim to provide a simplified journey,  which can be accessed by anyone who has been affected by domestic abuse and / or sexual violence.



Chair of the Board of Directors

Zabin Chauhan is a Senior Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service. She has worked for the CPS since 2016 and deals with a varied caseload including cases involving Stalking and Harassment, Modern Slavery and Domestic Abuse. Zabin qualified as a Solicitor in 2007 and practiced as a Family Lawyer until 2011. Following this, she worked for the Solicitors Regulation Authority where she dealt with compliance and regulatory matters. Zabin is an experienced lawyer and has represented many vulnerable women and men who were victims of Domestic Abuse dealing with cases ranging from court applications for non-molestation injunctions, disputes regarding children and cases involving child abduction. 

Head of the Fundraising Sub-Committee

Marea Roberts has had a varied career starting out as a beautician. She joined her family fabric business in Leicester and Coventry and was involved for over twenty years.  Marea was active politically holding several positions in the Labour Party including General Election agent and became a district councillor in 1996.  She was a Trustee of Leicester Children’s Holidays for over 22 years organising many fundraising events.  Marea worked for National Charity ‘Marie Curie’ as Area Fundraising Manager for much of central England for thirteen years before retiring in 2012.

Head of the HR & Finance Sub-Committee

Nicola Meskimmon is a Senior HR Advisor with Leicester City Council and has worked in Human Resources at operational and strategic level for over 12 years, in both local government and the voluntary sector. Nicola has had plenty of voluntary experience having previously sat on the Voluntary Management Committee of a local primary school After School Club for 5 years, worked as support to a local food bank and soup kitchen for the homeless, acted as a befriender and trainer with The Terence Higgins Trust in London and spent 2 years in rural Kenya as a teacher.

Members of the Board

Alison Lockley first worked as a Youth Worker. For six years she worked in a Leicester project, delivering a curriculum of social education to unemployed young adults, with an emphasis on work with young women. From here she moved to London and worked in a number of social housing organisations providing accommodation for homeless people with additional support needs, including mental health needs, substance mis-use, care-leaving, ex-offending and experience of sexual or domestic abuse. Alison then worked as Operations Manager for Supported Housing in a large housing association, managing a range of supported housing projects. She then set up and managed a DfES funded project for teenage parents, developing a range of support mechanisms and funding schemes to enable young mothers to return to education. After which she was employed as an associate lecturer on Manchester Metropolitan University’s Early Years Education degree course. 

Mary Tyler has recently retired as a lecturer in youth and community work at De Montfort University. She taught informal education, social policy and management to youth and community work students, tutored on management programmes for children and young people’s service leaders in the East Midlands, and undertook research and evaluation.

Sandra Parkinson is now retired having had an interesting career in careers guidance for adults.   Sandra enjoyed working with many community groups in the heart of Leicester including Highfields, St Mathews and Beaumont Leys.  Her work in Highfields raised Sandra’s awareness of the isolation of women in the community despite living close to their own ethnic groups.  Working with Leicester Libraries, Sandra ran support groups raising self-confidence and preparing women for returning to work. Sandra then moved into a training role, working with careers advisors who supported vulnerable people.  Sandra the moved to Leicestershire County Council spending two years training a team of careers advisors working within the community.

Patricia Scholes-Noble lived in central London, prior to moving to the East Midlands, working with street homeless men. She eventually managed the first women’s hostel opened by the charity she worked for. In more recent years, she worked with blind and visually impaired Further Education students and then with adolescents with special needs. Patricia is also a trained counsellor.

Published: 29th October, 2018

Updated: 9th February, 2021

Author:

Share this page
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Latest

  • Bike Raffle

    Bike Raffle

    Women’s Giant Liv Avail Road / Race Bike 2017 XS - 49-51cm. This bike is in excellent condition.

  • Please, Remember Me

    Please, Remember Me

    We are working to secure £100,000 to be able to continue to ensure our Children and Young People’s Services remain able to support the community of Leicestershire for the next 2 years.

  • JADA+ Therapeutic Counselling

    JADA+ Therapeutic Counselling

    JADA+ Therapeutic Services provide a Person Centred BACP registered Children and Young People’s Counsellor for children and young people who live across Leicestershire.

  • Rotary team rides to help Women's Aid Leicestershire

    Rotary team rides to help Women's Aid Leicestershire

    The Rotary Club of Market Bosworth are cycling the equivalent of Lands End to John O'Gloats in aid of Women's Aid Leicestshire.

Most read

  • Volunteer roles

    We need dedicated and passionate volunteers to help us provide invaluable support to all victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence.  Our volunteers come from a variety of backgrounds - some are retired, others not in work or working part or full-time. We have many opportunities to suit various skills, such as volunteering on the helpline, organising social or well-being groups with our resid

  • Who we are

    Who we are

    Women’s Aid Leicestershire Limited are a local organisation delivering support services to survivors of domestic abuse and violence.

  • Contact us

    Replace this with your content

  • Get help now

    In an emergency situation, always call 999. In none emergency situations, you can access support services by calling 0808 80 200 28.

  • Donate now

    Donate now

    As a charity we rely on donations to continue our work supporting victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence. Until we can all live safe and secure lives in our own homes and be free from the threat of domestic abuse and sexual violence, we will continue our life saving work.

  • Anyone can experience domestic abuse

    Anyone can experience domestic abuse

  • Core services

    Please download our leaflets to see the services that we offer.

  • Services for adults

    Services for adults

    We offer a range of specialist support services for adults, including temporary refuge accommodation, an IDVA service, a Hospital-based IDVA and a Housing Link Worker.

  • Our mission

    Replace this with your content

  • Help someone you know

    Help someone you know

    Make a referral to access support for an individual you know or are working with

Sign up for our newsletter

Please enter your first name
Please enter your last name
Please enter your email address Please enter a valid email address (e.g. [email protected])
  • Login
  • Logout
  • Manager
  • Contact
  • Sitemap
  • Accessibility
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Women's Aid Leicestershire Limited is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales under number 7171654 and registered as a Charity number 1136419

Registered office: PO Box 26, Leicester, LE1 1AA