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Project Operations Manager Recruited

After years of working hard to raise funds in order to hire our first paid worker, we embarked upon our first (unexpectedly lengthy) recruitment campaign in November 2025. Following a successful appointment in April 2026, we sadly lost our first recruit after just eight weeks due to a change in their personal circumstances. It was beginning to feel like we’d never be able to start delivering the services we so desperately wanted to launch!

Fortunately, second time around, we were inundated with excellent candidates! So it’s with great pleasure that we’re now able to say:

We’ve finally appointed our new Project Operations Manager and would love you to join us in welcoming Sousan to the team here at Free to Fly.

The Trustees are delighted to share that Sousan is now in her second month in-post, and doing a brilliant job. She’s hit the ground running, preparing to officially launch a number of services that we’d been hoping to launch right at the beginning of the year! It may have taken longer than we’d hoped, but we know that sometimes, good things take time, and patience really is a virtue. However, the women we are here to help, need help now, and we are doing all we can as a team to get that help to them as soon as possible.

Based in our Portsmouth office, with the significant responsibility of launching and leading our projects across the city, Sousan is keen to connect with prospective volunteers in the city. Initially, her focus is on recruiting volunteer Befrienders/Mentors (keep your eyes peeled for adverts that’ll be shared across the city in the next few weeks, if you’re local), and on sharing our referral process for Personal Aid Packages with professionals in Portsmouth.

Please contact us if you would like information on our services in the city if you are a professional who may be able to help empower expectant mothers as they leave domestic abuse and rebuild their lives by referring them to us. If you’re interested in volunteering, please get in touch via our Contact page.

In addition to welcoming Sousan to the team, we are also currently interviewing candidates for two other part-time roles at present, to support Sousan, to ensure our services can be delivered sustainably, so that we can empower women and support their freedom from abuse long-term.

Please, join us in welcoming Sousan to the team – she really is doing an incredible job and we’re very grateful to have her on-board!

National Lottery Grant News

The Free to Fly team are delighted to share that we are now recipients of a grant from the National Lottery Community Fund.

This grant is one of a number that our Fundraising Team have been busily applying for, to help cover the costs of delivering essential services that impact women and their unborn babies in the city of Portsmouth. We’ll be sharing news of how these much-needed funds have been spent very soon – so watch this space!

Huge thanks to the National Lottery for their support and faith in us. As a charity, we don’t receive any funding from the local authority, so income from grants, individual giving, partnering with local community groups, businesses, churches and other organisations is critical to enable us to help those who are bravely taking the step into freedom during their pregnancies. It’s a huge decision and we know how important it is to women to know that there’s someone there to help beyond the (wonderful) statutory-funded services out there.

If you’d like to help support a woman to leave an abusive relationship, and would like to give to our mission, your generosity makes a huge difference.

You can click here to visit our donations form here, now, and make a difference. It takes a village to raise a child, but it takes the whole nation to raise a generation. And we need your help to ensure our next generation are brought up safely, protected from the trauma of abuse

All That Glitters Charity Gala

10 February 2023, 18:30pm – 23:30pm

Join us to celebrate the launch of a NEW life-saving charity Free to Fly with an evening full of ‘All That Glitters’.

This is a red carpet, black tie charity event to help raise vital funds, on Friday 10th February 2023 @ The Village Hotel, Portsmouth.

‘All That Glitters’ combines fantastic food, magic and music that’ll make you want to get up and dance, with the opportunity to get dressed up, with a black tie and ball gown dress code. The glitzier the better.

Your entry ticket includes a drink on arrival at the red carpet reception from 6.30pm, followed by a delicious three course meal and quality entertainment throughout the evening. Please arrive for 7pm at the latest, to be seated for dinner.

Dinner menu

Starter: Smooth Chicken Liver Pate with fruit chutney, toasted croute and baby leaf salad
Main: Lemon and Tarragon Chicken Breast with Spring Onion Mash, chargrilled vegetables and grain mustard sauce

Dessert: Salted Chocolate and Caramel Tart with a duo of sauces and whipped cream
Vegetarian options:
Starter: Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup with basil oil and baked croutons

Main: Oyster Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto
Please inform us of any special dietary requirements or allergies, including requesting the vegetarian alternative, by email, by no later than December 20th 2022. We’ll be unable to amend your menu choices after this date.

Evening entertainment

We’re delighted to offer a rich variety of entertainment with something for everyone, including stunning live music from talented soul singer Ashya Roberts and mind-blowing table magic tricks from not one, but two incredible magicians: Paul Newton and Marcus Bailey. DJ Pulse will be dropping some tunes with dancing until late.

Meanwhile a silent auction will provide an opportunity to obtain deluxe and bespoke purchases at different price levels to help raise further funds with a little flutter.

The event will be not only a really enjoyable special evening of celebration to launch Free To Fly, but there will be opportunities to network in a relaxed setting with a host of entrepreneurs and influencers. Carriages at 11.30pm although the hotel bar will be open ’til late if you fancy an after-party.

Accommodation

If you would like to make the most of it and not worry about driving home afterwards, we are delighted to offer our gala guests a 10% discount for rooms booked at the venue, The Village Hotel Portsmouth. Simply use code: PRO10A when booking on their website.

Car parking is included for both gala and overnight guests.

Photography

Fabulous photographers Penny Plimmer of Japics Photography and Steve Phyall of Zooming Photography will be on hand to capture your night as you arrive on the red carpet and throughout the evening. So you can relax and enjoy yourself.

If you don’t wish to appear in photographs of the event that may be shared on our social media or other marketing materials in future, please notify us via email: support@freetofly.org.uk so that we can make arrangements to support your wishes. Otherwise it is assumed that you have given consent for us to share images that may feature you, in future marketing activities.

Book your place now

Tickets are available at £97 per person or reserve a table for 10 at £950. All proceeds go to new charity Free To Fly to help relieve the suffering of expectant mothers who are experiencing domestic abuse, during pregnancy and beyond. (Reg. Charity No. 1194841)