Our Story

At Orchards our vision is to see women free from sexual exploitation. We are a Christian charity working specifically with women who have been involved in prostitution and those who have been trafficked for sexual purposes. We walk alongside women as they overcome multiple barriers in their journey from exit through to independent living.

Orchards was born out of the prayers and dreams of two friends and colleagues who had seen first-hand that a lack of housing was both a reason for entry into exploitative situations and a major barrier to exit. We saw women who were not selling sex out of ‘choice’, but through stories of abuse, coercion, poverty, violence and homelessness. We were inspired as we saw the women’s courage, beauty, strength and potential. 

After five years of prayer, research, planning and consultation with other projects in the sector, Orchards launched as a charity in August 2018. 

Since then, we have set up three safe housing and counselling hubs in South London, East London and East Sussex, with online counselling reaching women right across the UK.

Thank you for journeying with us,

Our Values

Relationship

Relationships are at the heart of what we do. For many of the women we work with, trust has been broken – we create time and space needed for real, authentic, healthy relationships to be built.

Nurture

We aim to create a culture of self-care where women, staff and volunteers can thrive and have the space to reflect, recover and dream. Our support is holistic, safe, nurturing, and women-centred.

Unconditional Love

We are motivated by Jesus’ compassion and love for others, meeting women where they’re at and valuing them for who they are. We aim to create a culture of unconditional love and acceptance.

Collaboration

We walk alongside women and collaborate with them, seeking to empower them as they take steps towards recovery and independence. We work with partner organisations, complementing strengths.

Integrity

We have a commitment to excellence and a real desire to self-reflect, continuously learn, and improve our professional practice. We serve women and steward our resources with integrity and honesty.

Our Impact

Over the past year we have had the privilege of walking alongside 41 women across our three hub locations, through our counselling and safe housing support as they overcame the multiple barriers to sustained exit from sexual exploitation.

The following statistics are for 2025/26:

  • 79% of women accessing our counselling pathway reported an improvement in feeling that they have the tools needed to move forward in life.

  • 71% reported an improvement in their ability to plan for the future.

  • 100% of women accessing our housing pathway reported an improvement in managing their money.

  • 75% felt more connected to the Christian faith.

  • 100% were not in sexually exploitative situations 12 months after leaving our housing.

2025/26 Annual Report ↓

Discover More

Discover more about Orchards and what we do, and about how you can get involved.

Our Work