Blooming Strong Champions 2025: A Legacy of Resilience and Action

As Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse (STADA) marks the 10th anniversary of Blooming Strong, we are proud to honour this year’s Blooming Strong Champions—women who are leading the fight against domestic abuse, transforming the sector, and accelerating action for change. 

This recognition comes as we continue vital conversations around the fundamental rights of women and girls, and the critical role that leaders within the VAWG sector play—aligned with the theme ‘Accelerating Action,’ a call to drive urgent progress in tackling violence against women and girls. But Blooming Strong is more than a campaign. It is a movement, a legacy, and a tribute to the resilience of survivors.

Blooming Strong: An Ode to Resilience 

At STADA, we believe in amplifying the voices of victims and survivors, turning stories of despair into narratives of resilience, strength, and hope. Blooming Strong stands as a testament to this unwavering courage. It celebrates the women who do not give up, who persist despite societal pressures and the weight of multiple roles assigned to them from womb to tomb: daughters, sisters, mothers, wives, granddaughters, caregivers, warriors. 

This year, as Blooming Strong reaches a decade, we take a moment to reflect, honour, and celebrate the strength of women across the world. Women who rise from fire and ashes, wearing the scars of battle not as marks of defeat but as symbols of their unyielding spirit. 

Meet the 2025 Blooming Strong Champions 

🌸 Minister Jess Phillips – A fearless advocate for survivors, Jess Phillips has long championed stronger domestic abuse laws and greater protections for women. As Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, she has fought for specialist services, tougher legal measures, and better safeguarding for survivors and their children. Each year, she reads out the names of women killed by male violence in Parliament, ensuring their voices are never forgotten. 

🌸 Dame Nicole Jacobs – As the UK’s first Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Nicole Jacobs has led the charge in holding the government accountable for its response to domestic abuse. With nearly 30 years of frontline experience, she advocates for stronger protections, increased funding for support services, and survivor-led policies that drive systemic change. Her work ensures that survivors’ voices remain at the heart of national policy, pushing for a future where domestic abuse is prevented, not just responded to. 

🌸 Nikita McKee – A VAWG and Domestic Abuse Specialist, ensuring that lived experience remains at the heart of survivor-led initiatives. 

🌸 Ruth Howell – Sector Service Manager at the Oasis Domestic Abuse Service, leading critical frontline services to support survivors and shape intervention strategies. 

🌸 Lucy Campbell – Head of Multiple Disadvantage Service Transformation and Domestic Abuse, at the Single Homeless Project, pioneering integrated responses for women facing complex needs. 

🌸 Sarbjit Granger – Executive Director at Asian Women’s Resource Centre (AWRC), empowering marginalised women and survivors of domestic abuse. 

🌸 Becky Rendina – Whole Housing Approach Officer at Cheshire East Council, ensuring housing remains a pillar of safety for survivors. 

🌸 Zainab Al Shariff – Advocate at Al-Hasaniya Moroccan Women’s Centre, supporting migrant and refugee women navigating domestic abuse services. 

🌸 Caroline Lucas-Mouat – Programme Manager for Gloucestershire Housing Partnership, creating safe housing solutions for survivors. 

🌸 Stephanie Bechelet & Thea Arch – Stephanie is Brain Injury and Domestic Abuse Researcher and Thea Arch is the Policy Officer at Brainkind, a UK charity supporting individuals affected by brain injuries.  

🌸 Mary Russell – Public Health Markets Manager at Westminster, integrating domestic abuse prevention into public health strategies. 

Too often, women are portrayed solely as victims of crime, especially during campaigns like 16 Days of Action and International Women’s Day. Blooming Strong challenges this narrative. 

Surviving within an abusive relationship, enduring despite the pain, or taking the brave step to leave and rebuild from scratch—these are acts of unparalleled courage. 

This year, Blooming Strong 2025 celebrates not just victim-survivors but also the incredible colleagues, partners, and leaders in the VAWG sector who stand beside them. They are the lifelines, the advocates, and the pioneers shaping a future free from abuse. 

Reflecting on this milestone, Cherryl Henry-Leach, CEO of STADA, shared: 

“For over a decade, Blooming Strong has celebrated the remarkable women leading the charge against domestic abuse. This year's champions exemplify the essence of 'Accelerating Action,' driving transformative change in the sector. STADA is immensely proud to honour their contributions and unwavering commitment.” 

As we look ahead, let us remember: 

🔹 We are all Blooming Strong. 
🔹 We carry forward the spirit of resilience and compassion. 
🔹 We continue to advocate for sustainable change. 
🔹 We ensure every survivor’s story is heard. 

At the heart of this reflection is the poignant poem, These Boots, by our Survivor Voice Network. It is a powerful symbol of the journey women undertake and the battles they fight, often silently, in their quest for freedom and justice:  

These Boots  

I share this as an observer:  

We started this journey with echoes of, “We need to keep on keeping on until change happens.”  

She’s kept her boots on, ready, at every opportunity to eradicate the issues victim-survivors face in all spheres of society.  

This isn’t her first expedition, but she’s resilient to keep on fighting no matter what it takes.  

Every time we meet, they re-tell the story of where their boots were ripped, soaked, muddied, scorched, repaired, stolen, and more.  

These are their survival shoes.  

We’re only a few miles in but already you say, “You make me feel that what we're doing can't be ignored.”  

I won’t allow it to be, because I carry your voices with me every day, as I step into each of your boots following the compass between worlds.  

Here you say, “I’ve had the opportunity to feel heard.”  

I’m still learning to navigate my way and want this to be the truth of every victim-survivor: that you will impact every sphere as changemakers to those in trusted positions until these boots are no longer required.  

This poem honours the survival stories behind every pair of boots and to ensure that the journey of victim-survivors is acknowledged and valued. 

Until the day comes when these boots are no longer needed, we will keep walking, fighting, and pushing for a world where all women can live free from abuse and fear. 

Congratulations to the 2025 Blooming Strong Champions!