Our 2023 Impact Report

It’s time for our fourth annual Impact Report! Linked here

As we reflect on 2023, it's clear that this year has been pivotal for us in many ways. We were proud to support more Mums than ever but we also recognised we needed more people in the team in order to ensure sustainable growth for WWL. Importantly, within 6 months of graduating from our core programme, 71% of our Mums are in either employment, volunteering or further training.

Our Impact:

  • New locations: We were thrilled to extend our programmes to Somerset - establishing a new partnership with Bridgwater & Taunton College to support Mums across the county.

  • More Mums supported: More locations means we have supported 120 Mums over 8 cohorts in 5 areas - up from 90 Mums in 2022. Crucially, we’re maintaining really high into work figures; 61% of our 2023 graduates have landed roles within 6 months of graduating!

Team Growth:

  • Our team: 2023 was about reflecting on what we needed to thrive and bringing in new talents and perspectives. We welcomed Anna, Fern, Steph, Louise and Liz to Team WWL, enabling us to better serve our Mums and in particular the growing number of graduates we work with.

A Year of Stabilisation:

  • While 2022 was a year of rapid growth, 2023 was also focused on stabilising our operations, ensuring that our continued growth is sustainable and that we still deliver high-quality support to all our Mums.

Innovation:

  • This year, we launched the UK’s first entry-level returnship with Hargreaves Lansdown, providing Mums with tailored opportunities to re-enter work. This new initiative has been a resounding success with 16 Mums securing roles.

Awards and Recognition:

  • We were honoured to be crowned the Education & Jobs Social Enterprise of the Year at the 2023 Social Enterprise UK Awards, recognising our ongoing commitment to creating meaningful employment opportunities and driving social change.

  • Our Returnship Programme was crowned as ERSA’s 2023 Employer Partnership of the Year.

  • Samantha's Achievement: We were especially proud to see Samantha (a graduate from our first ever programme in 2020) recognised as Employer Engagement Practitioner of the Year at the ERSA Awards, celebrating her outstanding partnership work with employers.

As ever we want to extend our deepest thanks to everyone who has been part of this journey. From our dedicated team to our incredible Mums, partners, and supporters—you have all played a vital role in making 2023 another remarkable year. We are proud to be continuing this momentum in 2024.

Camilla Rigby