Refuge to Revolution: Thrive Group Wales Empowering Women with Enterprise

#IWD24 ##InspireInclusion 

“Business can and does give back and it only takes one small gesture, like offering someone a job, to make such a massive difference” – Donna Griffiths, Business Development Manager, Bouygues UK

International Women’s Day is a chance to reflect on progress made towards gender equality and women’s empowerment worldwide. This year, we highlight the inspiring work of Thrive Group Wales, a majority women-owned cleaning services business making strides towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions.

Thrive Group Wales, located in Port Talbot, is a high-quality cleaning services business that employs some 44 women and, in 2020/21, had a turnover of circa £500,000. It was founded in 2017 after Thrive Women’s Aid was commissioned, in 2016, to provide cleaning services to the school building sites of Bouygues UK, an innovative international construction business that puts social value at the heart of its projects. Thrive Women’s Aid, also based in Port Talbot, is a charity that helps women who have suffered from sexual violence and domestic abuse regain their independence, by helping them return to work. Initially, in 2016, they provided Bouygues with 4 women who had experienced domestic abuse to act as housekeepers on their building sites. So successful was the project that the demand for their services grew rapidly, and they launched Thrive Group Wales in 2017 with the support of the European Regional Development Fund.  As the group was intended to provide a sustainable income stream for Thrive Women’s Aid, all of its profits are used to support the work of the charity, helping create safer communities for women and their families. As the previous Director of Thrive Women’s Aid, Lucy Reynolds, acknowledged, Bouygues “planted the seed that led to where we are today, and we will always be very grateful”.

The vision of the Group is “to become an industry leader in providing high quality professional cleaning services as a responsible employer in the local community”. To this end, it has adopted 5 fundamental values, namely:

• Excellence by delivering high quality services and simple solutions.
• Innovation in order to improve their services and the work environment.
• Integrity by putting honesty at the heart of the operation.
• Supportive by requiring all employees to help create a caring, supportive, and inclusive work environment.
• Commitment to making a positive difference for employees, customers, and the community.

Thrive Group Wales considers itself to be a business with a heart and purpose. In 2019, it bought the Playhem play centre in Port Talbot, an indoor play facility for young children that acts as a community centre for women and young people. Unfortunately, in July 2023, it announced that it was having to close the facility as it was not financially viable.  At the time, it did so, however, it vouched that it would work hard to replace it with a facility that would benefit both the community and Thrive Women’s Aid. Additionally, having operated a mobile food van for some time, the group has diversified into catering, which includes high quality, convenient, and locally sourced food through a sandwich van service, and won a contract in November 2022 with South Wales Police to operate the restaurant in Swansea Central police station. As a spokesperson for the Constabulary, Chief Superintendent Trudy Meyrick observed, “it is fantastic to see the vision of Thrive advance as they expand into other areas with profits benefiting domestic abuse”.

So this International Women’s Day, let’s celebrate their work, which has created over 40 quality jobs for domestic abuse survivors, while generating profits to expand support services. In doing so, Thrive Group delivers on multiple fronts for SDG 16. By providing stable employment and prioritizing employee wellbeing, they reduce vulnerability to violence and exploitation, enabling survivors to safely rebuild autonomous lives. Their commitment to an inclusive, trauma-informed workplace culture fosters access to justice and effective recovery. Moreover, Thrive Group’s courageous leadership highlights the viability of business as a vehicle for the rehabilitation and reintegration of marginalised groups. They set a standard for ethical business aligned with human rights and equality. Their steadfast dedication to transforming community systems advances SDG 16’s call for accountable institutions that support peaceful, just societies. Their empowerment of abused women through economic participation accelerates progress towards gender equality, poverty reduction, strong institutions, and more peaceful communities. Consequently, they further address SDGs 5 (Gender Equality), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) while empowering abuse survivors. Though a for-profit business, Thrive Group Wales strikes an effective balance between purpose, profitability, and social impact, transforming the lives of vulnerable women while boosting the health of the wider community.

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