Supporting Women Veterans Through Connection, Confidence and Wellbeing

Women veterans have served their country with distinction, yet many describe feeling overlooked once they leave the Armed Forces. Too often, their experiences are unseen, their challenges misunderstood and their voices unheard.

Thanks to funding from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust’s Hidden Voices Programme, Accrington Stanley Community Trust is proud to deliver Stanley Strong – a dedicated programme supporting women veterans through physical activity, wellbeing support and peer connections.

Designed alongside women with lived experience, Stanley Strong provides a safe, welcoming environment where participants can improve their wellbeing, build confidence and develop lasting friendships.

Whether you’ve recently left the Armed Forces or have been a veteran for many years, Stanley Strong offers a place where you can be yourself, meet others with shared experiences and rediscover the strength that comes from belonging to a supportive community.

What does Stanley Strong offer?

Every session has been designed around what women veterans told us they wanted.

Participants can access:

• Women-only fitness sessions
• Football, boxing and yoga activities
• Wellbeing and resilience workshops
• Trauma-informed support
• Confidence and leadership development
• Peer mentoring from fellow women veterans
• Social events and community trips
• Opportunities to help shape future activities

The programme combines physical activity with meaningful conversations, helping women improve both their physical and emotional wellbeing in a supportive environment.

Who is the programme for?

Stanley Strong is open to women who have served in the Armed Forces, regardless of age, service branch or how long ago they left military service.

The programme welcomes women from all backgrounds, including those balancing work, caring responsibilities or other commitments.

Whether you’re looking to improve your wellbeing, meet new people or simply reconnect with the Armed Forces community, Stanley Strong is here for you.

Why Stanley Strong?

Research shows that many women veterans are less likely to access mainstream veteran services and often feel isolated or overlooked within traditional support networks. Many have told us they would value women-only spaces where they feel comfortable discussing their experiences, building confidence and supporting one another.

Stanley Strong has been created in direct response to those voices.

By providing a welcoming environment that combines physical activity, wellbeing support and peer mentoring, the programme helps reduce isolation, improve mental wellbeing and empower women to build lasting friendships and support networks.

Our aim is simple: to ensure every woman who joins Stanley Strong feels recognised, valued and supported.

Rhian ‘Gabby’ Sabatino, Head of Community Engagement, said:

“Stanley Strong has been created by listening to women veterans and responding to what they told us they needed. We know many women don’t always see themselves represented within traditional veteran services, so this programme provides a welcoming space where they can improve their wellbeing, build confidence and connect with others who understand their experiences. We want every participant to know that their service matters, their experiences matter and that they have a community here waiting for them.”