Double award for organisation founded in Gloucestershire after sexual assaults in Cotswold town

A not-for-profit organisation founded in Gloucestershire dedicated to ending misogyny and male violence against women and girls has received two commendations in the same number of weeks.

The organisation, This Ends Now, and its managing director Sydney-Anne McAllister received the Highly Commended for Equality and Diversity award at the Stroud Town Council Awards and the first-ever Young Volunteer Award at the Gloucestershire Volunteer Awards respectively. The Stroud Town Council Awards recognises organisations or individuals who have made a significant contribution to the residents of Stroud, while the Gloucestershire Volunteer Awards celebrates and recognises the outstanding contribution of volunteers across the county.

This Ends Now is run entirely by volunteers and was founded in late 2022 to address patriarchy and the systems that keep it in place. After a string of sexual assaults in Stroud, co-founder Nikki Owen teamed up with Sydney to organise and stage a protest against rising sexual assault in the community.

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The organisation is committed to creating real and lasting change by engaging in various activities such as protests, workplace training and awareness campaigns. A collaborative effort with Gloucestershire Constabulary and This Ends Now has even led to Words Matter, a first policy of its kind in the UK to revolutionise the language used by UK police in addressing sexual offences, ending victim-blaming and misogyny.

Picking up the awards, Sydney said: “It was an absolute honour to win the Young Volunteer Award. The award really reflects all of the hard work of the This Ends Now team and I feel incredibly lucky to work with such an amazing and inspirational group of people. Thank you to the Gloucestershire VSC Alliance and Go Volunteer Glos scheme for their continued support and for helping to connect our organisation to amazing volunteers.”

On the Stroud Town Council Awards, Sydney adds: "We are so grateful for the support from local residents and so it was an absolute privilege to hear that we had been nominated for a Stroud Town Award. The awards evening itself was a fantastic event - it was incredible to hear about the work of the other nominees, the local organisations and individuals who are also trying to make positive change in our society. Together, we are a force to be reckoned with."

"A huge thanks to Stroud Town Council for this award, Nikki Owen said. The work that This Ends Now does strives to create the prevention of sexual violence and patriarchy and this award shows how important our work is to the community. The whole team has worked really hard to get where we are today and we are so thankful for everyone’s continued support.”