From Coffee Mornings to Anthology & Play: A Mother’s Day Tribute from The Lioness Circle

None of us knew that those coffee mornings would one day grow into something much bigger. At the time, all we knew was that we needed a safe space to breathe.

Today, The Lioness Circle Anthology & Play celebrates nearly a decade of survivor-led healing, sisterhood and community leadership. A Mother’s Day tribute honouring the mothers, daughters and Lionesses whose voices shaped this movement.

This piece include reflections on domestic abuse and survivor experiences.

Please read with care.

When people see The Lioness Circle Anthology & Play, they may think it appeared out of nowhere - a book, a theatre stage, a group of women sharing deeply personal stories through creativity.

But the truth is, this moment didn’t start yesterday.

The Lioness Circle first began with tea, coffee and biscuits.

In late 2017, a community builder connected with Lioness Tamar on Facebook, where she was running an online awareness campaign after sharing her story. 

“All I need is a space.” Tamar said.

The doors of St Paul’s Church in Thornton Heath, Croydon, opened and a handful of women walked in. They looked like one another and had lived through similar things.

Mothers, grandmothers, daughters, sisters, aunties, cousins — women meeting informally.

There was no grand plan. No big funding. No strategy document.

Just women sitting together, talking honestly about their lives, survival, motherhood, relationships, healing and everything in between.

Some carried stories never told before.

Some simply needed a place to be.

One came just to see if it was real.

Like pinch me so I can feel.

What slowly emerged was something many of us had never experienced before:

a space ‘by and for’ Black women survivors to speak their truth openly, freely and without judgement.

When Black women speak, feel seen – allow themselves to be vulnerable and relatable.

Something powerful happens.

They see themselves in each other, realise they are not alone, then a next level of healing begins.

A Space for Healing

From those early conversations, The Lioness Circle began to grow.

Journalling was one of the earliest tools — a quiet way for women to reflect and reconnect with their own voices.

Over time the Circle expanded.

Word spread.

Numbers grew.

Demand increased.

Funding came through.

Training continued.

Services began to bloom.

Advocacy.

Peer support.

Workshops embedded.

Partnerships built.

Referrals both sent and received. 

From statutory services, community organisations and survivors themselves.

A safe space for Lionesses and their cubs.

For some, counselling through the Cassandra Centre and later Centre of Change, became a key lifeline.

For many, the Circle became an important step in rebuilding identity, confidence and independence – reducing isolation whilst building belonging, community and sisterhood.

The goal has always been simple:

Survivors supporting each other, while ensuring access to specialist support when needed.

Community Care and Sisterhood

Over the years, Lionesses have supported each other through some of life’s most difficult moment — from personal crises to practical challenges involving schools, health, housing, finances and family stress.

From front rooms to courtrooms, the work spread.

When funding ran out, women volunteered their time and fundraised through swimming, cycling and other community activities.

Lionesses ran mentoring programmes for young girls in supported accommodation.

During the COVID pandemic, Lionesses organised a survivor-led food bank, supporting women and families during incredibly difficult times.

But the Circle has never only been about survival.

There have also been many joyful moments: social activities in nature, beach trips to Bournemouth and support for other Lionesses’ creative adventures.

Because healing is about the journey from surviving to thriving.

Friendship, laughter and reclaiming life together.

From Safe Space to Public Voice

As The Lioness Circle grew, so did its impact.

In March 2020, we hosted Croydon’s first survivor-led community event, 'Survivors Thriving', which also marked the launch of Tamar’s memoir 'The Lioness Uncaged'.

Since then, the Lioness voices have contributed to professional training spaces including sessions with the Met Police, Councillors and legal professionals through organisations such as SafeLives.

The Lioness voices have also been present in discussions about policy and practice with MPs, New Scotland Yard, Croydon Council and national VAWG networks.

These conversations are not just powerful — they are essential. Survivor voices must remain at the heart of systemic change and improving how institutions respond to Male Violence Against Women And Girls.

Community Leadership

In more recent years, The Lioness Circle has also helped lead major community initiatives.

In March 2023, we organised Croydon’s first survivor-led 'Library Tour and Domestic Abuse Conference', focusing on the 'Voice of the Child' and raising awareness that under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, children are recognised as victims in their own right.

In November 2025, Lionesses helped organised Croydon’s first survivor-led 'MVAWG March' (Male Violence Against Women And Girls), bringing survivors, community members and allies together to demand change.

These moments show what happens when women who have survived stand together and refuse to remain caged.

The Next Chapter

The Lioness Circle Anthology & Play represents the next step in that journey.

What began with coffee mornings and journals has grown into a collective creative project where Lionesses choose to share their stories through writing, speaking and performances.

For many of the survivors involved, this is the first time they’ve publicly shared their lived experiences.

That took immense clarity, courage and commitment.

Storytelling is powerful - when women speak their truths, they create space for others to do the same.

As Tamar often says:

"We built a playground for our inner child to play. Now we are building the handles so others can play safely too."

Celebrating Our Mothers

Many stories in this anthology hold the complex, tender and painful space between mothers and daughters.

For some, mothers were fierce protectors, doing the best they could with little support and even fewer choices.

For others, mothers were themselves caught inside fear, violence, trauma bonds and survival strategies shaped long before their daughters were born.

That meant:

Some mothers harmed while trying to protect.

Some protected while causing harm.

Some could not see danger because it had been normalised in their own lives.

The authors of this book name a truth that is often avoided:

Many women parented while wounded, unsupported and navigating systems that punished them for “failing” while refusing to protect them or their children.

The Lioness Circle Anthology & Play honours all those voices.

And today, we celebrate the mothers, mother figures, daughters and survivors whose strength, wounds and love helped shape this space. 

To my mother, late grandmother Nella and great grandmother Druce, other ancestors, aunties, sisters, cousins and friends – we thank you. We honor you. We respect you.

And when all is said and done, this moment is dedicated to each Lioness who has entered the Circle. 

Happy Mother’s Day 💜

Join Us

Be part of this powerful moment of storytelling, healing and community.

Reserve your seat for The Lioness Circle Anthology & Play launch event.

CLICK HERE

Come and witness the courage, creativity and sisterhood that made this moment possible.