Our Impact

A Snapshot of our Work in 2024

Luminary Bakery

108

women worked with across 16 cohorts, including 84 in direct support

Luminary Bakery

35

mums supported, with 58 children who indirectly benefited from our work

Luminary Bakery

158

training programme days delivered

Luminary Bakery

33

certificates awarded in Food Safety and Hygiene for Catering Level 2

Luminary Bakery

65%

of women were in Employment, Education, Volunteering or Training after completing their two-year programme

Luminary Bakery

3,276

hours of 1-1 support delivered by our Progression Support Workers

Luminary Bakery

14

wellbeing workshops hosted

Luminary Bakery

98

mentoring meetings held with our volunteer mentors

Luminary Bakery

21

women worked with our in-house therapist

Luminary Bakery

681

hours of apprentice placements and 2,483 hours of paid employment hosted by Luminary Bakery for our graduates

Luminary Bakery

5

staff posts in the charity team filled by Luminary graduates

Who we work with

Of the women joining our programme this year...

43%

have experienced at least four barriers to employment

49%

have experienced sexual violence

64%

have experienced homelessness

93%

have experienced gender-based violence

The Outcome of our Work

Luminary Bakery

65%

of women completing their two-year programme this year were in Employment, Education, Volunteering or Training.

Luminary Bakery

100%

of the women who completed their two-year programme with us this year reached independence.

Luminary Bakery

25

women started the second stage of the programme, and 24 completed it. This is a completion rate of 96%.

Luminary Bakery

100%

of graduates were matched with a Luminary mentor. 71% of these met with their mentor five times or more.

Sakeena's Story

Sakeena* is a survivor of gender-based violence.

"I joined the Luminary programme in 2023. Before then I was feeling a bit lost.

Throughout the programme I valued the guidance of my Luminary support worker, who was extremely supportive. I received help with my housing application and also to consider my next steps. Making big decisions felt much less daunting with her alongside me.

My Luminary mentor was amazing. She helped me to find a job and consider my future goals. I learnt a lot from her. When I said, ‘Thank you so much for helping me,’ she said, ‘You already had it - I just showed it to you.’

So much has happened in less than two years! When I first started, I didn’t realise what impact Luminary would have on me. Luminary encourages us to take small steps towards our goals, to trust the process, and to take opportunities as they arise. I hope other women who might be unsure about their future will embrace Luminary like I did. Each part of the programme is there to guide us and to help us change our situation. It’s life-changing really."

*Name changed to protect the privacy and safety of the women we support.

Read Sakeena's Story in the 2024 Impact Report
Luminary Bakery

Literature Review

Luminary’s Literature Review was undertaken to ensure that our mission and approach are responding to a genuine, documented need and are informed by the recommendations of existing research. It involved extensive reading and analysis around the theme of unemployment among women, particularly survivors of gender-based violence.

We read a wide variety of research but attempted to base this piece of work in our ‘home town’ of North East London where Luminary’s work is rooted. We discuss the key barriers to employability for women who have survived gender-based violence and note recommendations for our model, many of which have already been implemented.

Learn More