Baking and building confidence

with Bramber Bakehouse

At Brighton & Hove Refuge, we support survivors of domestic abuse as they take some of the hardest, and bravest, steps of their lives.

That means helping people find safety, settle into refuge, focus on their wellbeing and rebuild their confidence after incredibly difficult experiences.

One of the most powerful parts of recovery is finding connection and community again. Brighton-based group Bramber Bakehouse provides a free programme for women who’ve experienced domestic abuse. It includes:

  • Baking lessons
  • Wellbeing sessions
  • Group and one-on-one mentoring
  • Support with developing confidence and life skills

We work closely with Bramber Bakehouse, referring women living at the refuge who would benefit from this kind of creative, supportive space to the programme, supporting with travel and accessibility needs, and checking in regularly to see how it’s going.

And we’ve seen some amazing transformations!

One recent participant, a woman with ADHD who had left a very controlling community, visibly grew in confidence during her time at Bramber Bakehouse. She went from quietly attending to sharing her own coping strategies with others, built friendships, shared what she learned back at the refuge, and really began showing up as her full, authentic self.

We know how important it is for anyone moving into refuge to have the support to re-build confidence and community, especially for women who are neurodivergent or have felt isolated for a long time. Programmes like Bramber Bakehouse help with this - giving survivors something to look forward to, structure and routine, a reason to go out and a bridge into the wider community.