Our Story
WayfinderWoman began in 2012 with a simple act of community.
In a garage in Hailsham, our founder Laura Murphy brought women together to build confidence, share experiences and support one another. What started as a small group quickly became a space where women felt heard, encouraged and less alone.
As the community grew, we moved into a shared outreach office at the Hippodrome Theatre in Eastbourne. Alongside connection and encouragement, we began offering volunteering opportunities — helping women reconnect with their community, build skills and gain experience to support their next steps.
In 2014, when it came time to create a website, we needed a name that reflected what was really happening. Asked what the group was doing at its heart, Laura replied: “Helping women find their way.”
WayfinderWoman was born — and we became a registered charity later that year.
Over the past decade, we’ve supported more than 1,000 women through coaching, workshops, courses and support services, always rooted in listening and local partnership. In 2021, we were honoured to receive the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service — the highest award given to local charities in the UK.
Today, our team volunteers, trustees and staff continue to build on those beginnings. And this year marks a clear and exciting new chapter: placing peer support at the centre of our work. We are strengthening and expanding the spaces where women can connect, share their experiences, and grow together — because we know that women supporting women is where real, lasting change begins.
What began in a garage remains at the heart of everything we do — and we’re proud to be shaping what comes next.
This year, we’re placing peer support at the centre of everything we do. Discover what peer support is, how it works, and why we believe it makes such a difference.