News / Women's Work Lab
All-female social enterprise bags major national recognition
The chief executives of a social enterprise working to tackle women’s unemployment have received a national award.
Camilla Rigby and Rachel Mostyn have been named among this year’s winners of the Cambridge Social Innovation Prize, awarded by Trinity Hall and the Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation at the University of Cambridge.
In a recent interview with Bristol24/7, Rigby asked for “political will” and a cogent strategy from a future government to tackle large scale economic inactivity among women of working age which is currently costing the economy billions of pounds.
Women’s Work Lab CIC run programmes for 15 Mums at a time across the south west, supporting some of the most marginalised women to reach their full potential
Rigby and Mostyn founded Women’s Work Lab in 2018 to help unemployed mums in receipt of benefits, rebuilding confidence and helping them to find careers that suit family life.
Their nine-month programme combines bespoke classroom training with a work placement, one-to-one career coaching and mentoring.
The women they support are often marginalised or vulnerable, having experienced significant barriers to work including domestic abuse, mental health challenges, caring for children with additional needs and home displacement.
Since 2019, the enterprise has supported nearly 500 mums with an average of 2.3 children each, resulting in a positive impact for over 1,150 children.
Women’s Work Lab also works with hundreds of local employers to help them attract, recruit and retain diverse talent from their communities.
On the recognition, Rigby and Mostyn said: “Absolutely chuffed to bits. It’s a huge shock and honour to be recognised as it’s always really daunting to apply for something as prestigious as this.
“We always want to highlight how special our mums are and knowing that their voices and stories will be told at the University of Cambridge is super exciting.”
The awards are made annually to leaders of social executives creating positive social impact for individuals and communities through education and training, sport and music.
The prize includes a £10,000 cash award for personal and professional development, and mentoring to develop skills, resources, and networks to create more impact from their work.
“We always want to highlight how special our mums are and knowing that their voices and stories will be told at the University of Cambridge is super exciting,” said Camilla Rigby and Rachel Mostyn
Nicole Helwig, Cambridge Centre for Social Innovation executive director, lauded this year’s winners. She said: “It is wonderful to celebrate the five individuals who are recipients of this year’s Cambridge Social Innovation Prize.
“Their work transforms lives, empowers youth at risk and addresses challenges in innovative ways. We are pleased to support their continued development through this unique award and look forward to seeing the results of their work in the future”.
All photos: Women’s Work Lab
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