I am going to be taking part in my first triathlon this year - the London Triathlon on Sunday 7th August 2022. I will be swimming 750m in the beautiful Royal London Docks, cycling 20km around the ExCeL centre and running 5km along the docklands.

I am fundraising for an incredible charity and social enterprise set up by an inspirational friend, Jess Visser. Jess founded Strength & Stem with the aim of empowering women who are survivors of human trafficking through meaningful employment, life-giving community and skills training.

There are an estimated 136,000 victims of human trafficking in the UK today. According to the charity Hestia, 81% of trafficked victims in London are women, most likely because the capital city has a higher rate of sex trafficking than anywhere else in the country.

As well as delivering floristry training programmes, Strength & Stem offers work experience, skills training and mentorship to women who have survived human trafficking and are on their journey to independence and freedom. They believe in harnessing the beauty of flowers as a force for social change, with three specific aims for participants:

1. find meaning and fulfilment from engaging with flowers and floristry

2. feel, and be, more socially connected

3. develop skills and confidence in an area of interest for them

You can read more about the charity and download their social impact report here: https://strengthandstem.co.uk/ 

We would be very grateful for any support!