Welcome to Vida

Vida Sheffield is an independent women’s voluntary sector organisation. We are a specialist trauma-focused and gender sensitive therapy service for women and girls whose mental health is affected by previous experiences of abuse and trauma. Our name means ‘life’ in Spanish – a positive assertion of what our work is all about.

Vida Sheffield – A Final Message

💜

As Vida Sheffield prepares to close its doors on 31 August 2026, we want to take a moment to say goodbye, and most importantly, thank you.

For many years, Vida has been a place of safety, compassion and hope for women and girls whose lives have been affected by domestic and sexual abuse.

Thousands of women have trusted us with their stories. We have witnessed extraordinary courage, resilience and strength, and it has been an immense privilege to walk alongside every woman who has come through our doors.

Vida has always been more than a service. It has been a community of women supporting women – therapists, support workers, staff, volunteers, trustees, partners and supporters, all united by the belief that survivors deserve to be heard, believed and given the opportunity to heal.

To every woman who trusted Vida: thank you. Your courage has shaped this organisation and the people within it. We hope you carry with you the knowledge that what happened to you does not define you, and that healing and change are possible.

To our staff, therapists and volunteers, past and present: thank you for the compassion, skill, commitment and humanity you have brought to this work. The impact you have made will continue far beyond Vida’s doors.

And to our funders, partners, supporters and the organisations across Sheffield and beyond who have worked alongside us: thank you for believing in our work and standing alongside survivors.

We are deeply saddened that Vida is closing. We also know that Vida’s legacy does not end on 31 August.

It continues in the women who found their voices again.

In the women who began to understand that they were never responsible for the abuse they experienced.

In the women who rebuilt their lives.

And in every practitioner, volunteer and organisation that carries forward the values that have always been at the heart of Vida – safety, dignity, compassion, equality and hope.

There is still so much work to be done to ensure that women and girls affected by abuse can access the specialist support they deserve. We hope that Vida’s legacy will include a continued commitment across our city to protect and sustain those services.

After all the reports, referrals, sessions, groups, meetings, campaigns and conversations, perhaps the most important thing we can leave behind is a very simple message:

You deserve to be safe.
You deserve to be heard.
You deserve a life free from abuse.
And you deserve the opportunity to heal.

Thank you for being part of Vida’s story.

With love and gratitude from all of us at Vida Sheffield 💜

1995–2026

2025 TRIUMPH THROUGH 

ADVERSITY AWARD 

VIDA Sheffield Celebrates Success
at the 2025 Benefact Group
Charity Heroes Awards

Becks, Marilyn and Karen were delighted to receive the Award on behalf of Vida Sheffield at the event held in the Tower of London.

Vida Press Release November 2025