Our Approach
A place to feel seen, heard, valued and supported.
Our preventative approach
Supporting women early. Building skills for everyday life.
Reach Her brings social and community development together with public health principles and public health nutrition education. We use cooking, learning and connection to address the everyday pressures behind isolation, financial hardship and unequal opportunities for wellbeing.
Community development
Connection, voice and confidence
We create welcoming spaces for women from different backgrounds to cook together, share knowledge and build supportive relationships. Respectful listening, peer support and practical group activities give women opportunities to participate and recognise their strengths.
Our preventative aim
Reduce isolation and build belonging, confidence and opportunities to seek support early.
Public health approach
Responding to the pressures around health
We recognise that wellbeing is shaped by income, access to food, social connection and access to support. Our sessions bring together budgeting, practical life skills, wellbeing activities and signposting, with attention to cultural inclusion and barriers to taking part.
Our preventative aim
Strengthen everyday coping skills and help women find appropriate support before difficulties deepen.
Public health nutrition
Food knowledge women can use at home
Hands-on multicultural cooking connects nutrition education with familiar meals. Topics include nutrients, food groups and the Eatwell Guide, understanding labels, meal planning, food budgeting and food safety. Women practise skills and explore affordable adaptations to recipes they enjoy.
Our preventative aim
Build confidence in preparing balanced meals and making informed food choices within a household budget.
The skills behind our work
Sophia Akpan, Founder
Founder Sophia Akpan brings a background in Social and Community Development and a Public Health Nutrition certification from Liverpool John Moores University. Her community work and lived experience inform Reach Her's practical, culturally inclusive approach.
Listening, group facilitation, community engagement, an understanding of social inequality, safeguarding awareness and evaluation help us shape activities around women's needs and strengths. Public health nutrition knowledge helps translate food information into affordable, practical learning.
In practice
What this looks like in a session
A shared cooking activity becomes an opportunity to discuss ingredients and nutrition, practise preparation skills, consider cost per serving and connect with other women. Reflection and feedback help us understand what participants have learned and what support they would find useful next.
We use attendance records, participant feedback and reflections to understand changes in confidence, connection and practical knowledge. These help us improve our sessions; our aims are not a claim that we have measured prevention of illness.
Our role is community education, wellbeing support and signposting. Individual medical or dietary needs are referred to qualified health professionals, and specialist abuse support is provided by appropriate services.
What change looks like
Small steps that build stronger futures.
Less isolation
Women form meaningful community connections.
More confidence
Women learn, contribute and recognise their strengths.
Healthier choices
Practical food knowledge becomes easier to use at home.
Greater independence
Budgeting, skills and signposting open new pathways.
Your place at the table is waiting.
You do not need to have cooking experience. Come as you are, meet other women and take part at your own pace.
