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Wood Innovations has become the first organisation to support the Changing Hearts and Minds Project (CHAMP), a pioneering initiative from Women's Aid Armagh Down aimed at addressing and ending violence against women and girls through long-term cultural change.
Based at Carnbane in Newry the company will roll out the CHAMP initiative across both its Newry and Walsall sites, with management and employees taking part in a series of awareness and training sessions delivered by Women's Aid Armagh Down. The programme, which is funded through the Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG) Change Fund and supported by the Northern Ireland Executive, is designed to challenge harmful attitudes, build community capacity and create positive cultural transformation through education, mentoring and workplace engagement.
The sessions will include management awareness training, company-wide workshops on recognising signs of violence and understanding support pathways, as well as pre and post-training surveys to measure awareness and impact. The aim is to create a supportive environment where every employee can feel empowered to recognise, respond to and help prevent violence against women and girls.
Between 2020 and 2025, 28 women and girls across Northern Ireland were tragically killed by men, and the CHAMP project is part of a vital effort to confront this devastating issue through proactive, community-driven action. The initiative includes four key workstreams covering coaching boys into men, healthy and respectful relationships, community project mentoring, and EVAWG workplace action plans which mentor businesses to develop and implement tailored strategies that create safer, more informed workplaces.
Edwina Flynn, CEO of Wood Innovations formally signed a Declaration of Intent between Wood Innovations and Women's Aid Armagh Down, affirming the company's commitment to its corporate responsibility in fostering an environment within Wood Innovations and beyond where everyone can live and work in safety, dignity and respect.
Ms Flynn said: "We are proud to stand with Women's Aid Armagh Down as the first organisation to adopt the CHAMP initiative. At Wood Innovations, we believe that businesses have a critical role to play in promoting safety, respect and equality. By embedding these values into our workplace culture, we are helping to drive real and lasting chang, not only within our organisation but across the wider community."
Eileen Murphy, CEO of Women's Aid Armagh Down, added: "The CHAMP initiative is about transforming mindsets—within homes, schools and workplaces. We are delighted to have Wood Innovations as our first business partner in this important work. Their commitment demonstrates the power of the private sector to influence positive cultural change and support efforts to end violence against women and girls."
The collaboration marks a significant milestone in uniting the business community with frontline organisations tackling gender-based violence, with Wood Innovations and Women's Aid Armagh Down leading the way in showing that awareness, education and empathy in the workplace can truly change hearts and minds.
