Ross woman's helping hand to abused women is recognised by Prime Minister
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A ROSS-SHIRE woman who escaped an abusive relationship and created a company which helps women in crisis by providing them with gift parcels of bespoke clothing has had her work recognised by the Prime Minister.
Rachael Bews is the CEO and co-founder of ALICAS which she launched in 2017.
Ms Bews found herself at a Women's Aid refuge in the Highlands with a pile of second hand clothes in plastic bags offered to fellow survivors of domestic abuse.
Moved by the image she was reminded of a survivor, Ali, whom she had met years before and who had also fled an abusive partner.
Ali had told Rachel that as long as she had a good coat and a pair of shoes, she could take her children to school and apply for work with dignity as she rebuilt her life.
Years later, it is Ali’s Coat and Shoes which provides the inspiration for Rachels' innovative social venture, ALICAS, which has earned the young entrepreneur a Points of Light award from the PM.
ALICAS gifts the clothing parcels to women in clothing crisis - supporting individuals to rebuild their lives while giving retailers and members of the public an environmentally and socially responsible way of re-purposing new garments.
The capsule wardrobe parcels containing up to 30 essential but high-quality items of clothing are tailored specifically to suit the sizing, cultural and religious needs of the recipient.
They support women to retain their dignity, identity and confidence.
Now based in Edinburgh Rachel is the UK's 1164th Points of Light, receiving a certificate and personally signed letter from the Prime Minister which recognises outstanding individual volunteers, people who are making a change in their community and inspiring others.
Rachael said: “It is such an honour to be recognised by the Prime Minister for the work ALICAS is doing to support and empower women in clothing crisis as they rebuild their lives, while offering clothing retailers and designers a socially and environmentally responsible alternative to landfill and incineration.
“Behind every statistic is a woman in clothing need, and our key goal is to empower communities and achieve our ambitious social targets in the months and years to come - creating an open source toolkit so that the innovation behind ALICAS can have a global impact.”
While ALICAS builds its self-sustaining revenue streams and scales its social impact, it needs further financial support to be able to continue this vital, community-focused work. Generous members of the public and corporate supporters are being invited to 'Sponsor a Wardrobe.' £25 pays for the postage and packaging of one parcel. £35 will also accommodate the purchase of specialist items. More details can be found at www.gofundme.com/tagsto10k.
