Future Female Society marks 10 years with £259,832 Lottery boost and a community party

Why it matters: Open to everyone, the party will bring the community together for an afternoon of food, entertainment and creativity. It will celebrate the people who have been part of the organisation's journey over the past decade and mark the announcement of its three-year funding award.

The details: The 10 Years of Future Female Society Community Party will run from 12:00-16:00 at The Hold on Fore Street. Presented by Future Female Society and Suffolk Archives, with support from Suffolk County Council and The National Lottery Community Fund, it will feature:

• A multicultural fashion show, where local people will take to the runway to showcase “the beauty, diversity and stories that make our FFS family so special”
• Live performances from BBC Introducing artist Juliet Price Thomas, who has more than 1.1 million Spotify streams; Ipswich singer-songwriter Savannah Howard, who has performed at Latitude Festival and Ipswich Music Day; and Harmonique, who blends R&B, neo-soul, gospel and jazz
• A talent show, badge and bag making, and face painting
• Lunch and refreshments
• A community sing-along led by Harmonique to close the celebration

What they're saying: Kim Trotter, founder and chief executive of Future Female Society, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be celebrating 10 years of Future Female Society with this incredible news. The £259,832 award from The National Lottery Community Fund will make a huge difference to what we are able to offer over the next three years.”

She added: “It means we can continue projects that are already making a difference while also creating new opportunities for women, girls, migrant and refugee women and the wider community.”

The bigger picture: The £259,832 award "will make a huge difference to what we are able to offer over the next three years", Trotter said. It will support a programme of activities, including:

• More Than Mum – a 10-week personal development programme supporting women to explore their identity, confidence and aspirations beyond their role as mothers
• Woman2Woman Radio – a project for migrant and refugee women, providing a platform to share experiences, develop skills, build connections and have their voices heard
• Girls Where You AT? – a youth social action project giving girls opportunities to come together, develop their ideas and take positive action within their communities

The funding will also enable Future Female Society to continue its monthly coffee mornings, quarterly Happiness Brunches and a series of women's wellbeing workshops.

For context: Officially launched in 2016, the Community Interest Company had delivered 41 grassroots projects and worked with people from 25 countries by the time it marked its 10th anniversary in February 2026, with a celebration evening at King Street Cinema.

The bottom line: After 10 years of supporting more than 2,400 women and girls, Future Female Society has secured three more years of funding, and is inviting the whole community to celebrate.

For more information, visit futurefemalesociety.org.

Don't forget: If you enjoy our content, please add Ipswich.co.uk as a "preferred source" on Google so you can easily find more of the content you value.

This article cost us ~£24 to produce

It's free for you to read thanks to the generous support of our two community impact partners: local contractor Barnes Construction, and flat roof waterproofing and design firm Axter. Please support us by supporting them.