Strengthening Soul & Sculpt
A community-shaped organisational development phase designed to strengthen Soul & Sculpt's capacity, infrastructure and ability to support women across Leicester.
This project is currently at proposal stage. Funding has not been confirmed.
Growing demand showed us what needed to change.
Previous community feedback confirmed women valued Soul & Sculpt's holistic, women-centred approach. Women said that Soul & Sculpt helped them:
- Connect with others
- Feel less alone
- Build confidence
- Strengthen resilience
- Improve their wellbeing
However, feedback also identified a need for:
- More individual check-ins
- Clearer signposting
- More meaningful volunteering opportunities
- More ways to contribute
- More opportunities to help shape the community
The leadership team had tried to provide this additional support through unpaid time, but increasing demand made this unsustainable. This project is about meeting that need properly, not asking more of the team for free.
Protected time to support the community.
The proposal is for a 20-hour-per-week Community Development Lead function shared by two directors. The role would provide time for:
- Individual check-ins
- Follow-up
- Partnerships
- Signposting
- Volunteer development
- Community involvement
- Safer communication
- Organisational development
Keeping women connected.
The project would also support:
- 40 community activities
- An end-of-project showcase
- Continued opportunities to move, reflect and connect
- Feedback collection
- Participation data
- Community stories
- Learning to shape future work
Building stronger foundations.
Investment in the skills, systems and infrastructure that underpin the work:
- Pilates qualification
- Exercise Referral qualification
- Insurance
- Dedicated phone and SIM
- Safer communication systems
- Volunteer development
- Partnership development
- Stronger organisational processes
How the community shaped the proposal.
This proposal was built directly on what women told us.
21
Focus group participants
63
Survey responses
47
Women attending a virtual meeting
100%
Supporting continued activity
97%
Wanting more individual check-ins
88%
Wanting clearer signposting
83%
Wanting more meaningful volunteering
“Without this group, many of us would feel lost, so we would rather funding helped you keep helping us.”
Intended outcomes.
More consistent individual support
Protected time for check-ins and follow-up with women who need it.
Clearer routes to wider services
Better signposting and partnerships with local support.
Stronger volunteer involvement
Meaningful opportunities for women to contribute and shape the community.
Greater community influence
More ways for women to help decide what comes next.
More sustainable leadership capacity
A shared role so support doesn't depend on unpaid time.
A stronger foundation for future delivery
Skills, systems and infrastructure to sustain the work.