Wood Innovations Partners with Women's Aid Armagh Down to Champion the 'Changing Hearts and Minds Project' (CHAMP)

Wood Innovations Partners with Women’s Aid Armagh Down to Champion the ‘Changing Hearts and Minds Project’ (CHAMP)

NEWRY compnay Wood Innovations are proud to be the first organisation to support the Changing Hearts and Minds Project (CHAMP), a pioneering initiative from Women’s Aid Armagh Down. This powerful programme, funded through the Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG) Change Fund and supported by the Northern Ireland Executive, aims to inspire long-term cultural change by addressing and ending violence against women and girls.

About CHAMP

The Changing Hearts and Minds Project (CHAMP) is a community-based initiative designed to challenge harmful attitudes, build community capacity and create positive cultural transformation. Through education, mentoring and workplace engagement, CHAMP empowers individuals and organisations to be active agents of change in promoting equality, respect, and safety for all.

Between 2020 and 2025, 28 women and girls across Northern Ireland were tragically killed by men. The CHAMP project is part of a vital effort to confront this devastating issue through proactive, community-driven action.

The project includes four key workstreams:

Coaching Boys into Men – promoting respect and accountability among young men and boys.

Healthy and Respectful Relationships – fostering understanding and prevention through education.

Community Project Mentoring – building grassroots capacity to challenge gender-based violence.

EVAWG Workplace Action Plans – mentoring businesses to develop and implement tailored strategies that create safer, more informed workplaces.

Wood Innovations Commitment

Wood Innovations will roll out the CHAMP initiative across both its Newry and Walsall sites. The company’s management team and employees are engaging in a series of awareness and training sessions delivered by Women’s Aid Armagh Down, including:

Management awareness training sessions.

Company-wide workshops on recognising signs of violence and understanding support pathways.

Pre- and post-training surveys to measure awareness and impact.

These sessions aim to create a supportive environment where every employee can feel empowered to recognise, respond to and help prevent violence against women and girls.

Today, Edwina Flynn 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.

Edwina Flynn, CEO of Wood Innovations, 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.”

A Collective Step Forward

This collaboration marks a significant milestone in uniting the business community with frontline organisations tackling gender-based violence. By implementing the CHAMP framework, Wood Innovations and Women’s Aid Armagh Down are leading the way with a proactive partnership showing that awareness, education and empathy in the workplace, can truly change hearts and minds.