International Women’s Day is a global day of celebration, recognising the achievements & accomplishments of women today and across history.
Did you know?….. The homelessness sector workforce is predominantly female – 64% of St Martins team members are female.
To celebrate this year, we wanted to highlight some of the amazing achievements of our team members from across our services.
Nancy – Senior Shift Team Member
I recently completed my MSC in Mental Health Nursing and qualified as a Mental Health Nurse. I was honoured to receive the Inspirational Role Model Award for my cohort, which recognised my dedication, resilience, and commitment to supporting others throughout the programme.
My journey into mental health nursing has been deeply meaningful. After moving to the UK to pursue further studies, I remained committed to building a career where I could make a positive difference in people’s lives. I decided to go for another programme in Mental Health Nursing. Through my academic training, placements across mental health services, and my work at St Martins, I have developed a strong passion for advocating for compassionate, person-centred care.
Beyond my professional role, I am also passionate about community engagement, supporting wellbeing, and encouraging others – particularly women – to believe in their potential and pursue their goals despite challenges.
Jan Sheldon – CEO
I have the great honour of being St Martins CEO. It’s an honour for many reasons. Firstly, St Martins does fantastic work – I may be biased but I know our team members make a difference when people are often at their most vulnerable.
Secondly, because research shows that 70% of the CEOs in the top 100 largest charities are male. St Martins is not in the 100 largest charities, but we are of a significant size in terms of turnover and the number of team members we have. We punch above our weight for a local charity.
There is research to show that female leaders have higher levels of emotional intelligence than male CEOs but as always, it’s the individual that matters. I know some incredible male CEOs and some female CEOs I wouldn’t want to sit around a table with.
I’m sometimes criticised that my top team are all women BUT for me it’s always about the best person for the job. 64% of our team members are female, that isn’t unusual for a charity working in a care related sector; however, like my top team they’ve not been selected for any other reason than they are the best people for the jobs they do.
Sometimes we get hung up on gender, but we can’t forget that for hundreds of years women have been treated less favourably because of their gender. Sadly, this is still happening in some countries which is hard to believe in 2026.
International Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate what women can and do achieve, a day to inspire our younger generation and to do all we can to support women who aren’t as fortunate as ourselves.
Hannah – Finance Project Assistant
I have recently undertaken an AAT Level 2 Apprenticeship in Accounting, which involved an introduction to bookkeeping, principles of bookkeeping controls, principles of costing and the business environment. It was an honour to be given the opportunity to partake in these studies, and I am very proud to have received a distinction for both elements. On the back of this, I was nominated for an award as Apprentice of the Year.
Being a mature student with a young family was daunting at first. However, with the support of my colleagues, my tutor, and St Martins I managed to balance my study time with personal and professional commitments to achieve results I’m proud of.
Train Together Ltd, the apprenticeship provider, said, “As the programme progressed, Hannah’s confidence grew significantly, not only in her own abilities but also in supporting others. She attended all workshops and actively contributed to discussions, often encouraging quieter learners to share their thoughts and helping to build confidence within the group. Her presence had a positive and lasting impact on those around her.”
I feel that supporting people, helping to build them up to the best version of themselves, and assisting them to reach their goals is fundamental for personal and professional growth. If you want to achieve something, go out and get it. There is no limit to what you can do when you put your mind to it.