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When cousins Sherin and Rachel Hughes had an idea for a place where women could come together to socialise and support each other, little did they think it would grow into a fully-fledged charity supporting a thousand women less than three years later.

 

Sister Sheds was co-founded by Sherin and Rachel in October 2021. Sherin had had her share of dark days, losing both her parents in 2016, and admits it was a struggle to “swim back to the surface” afterwards. The two of them thought there must be others who needed similar support.

 

“I wasn’t alone. So many women go through mental health issues, and there are ways of coping. We live and we learn, we don’t go under when hard times hit,” says Sherin.

From this concept of having a shoulder to lean on stemmed the idea for Sister Sheds.

 

“We identified a need for women to reconnect within their communities, to reduce isolation, and to encourage friendships and stronger communities amongst women,” says Sherin.

 

“It’s escalated into something much bigger than we thought it would ever be.”

 

That’s an understatement. Starting with a single shed in 2021, Sister Sheds has since grown into a network of almost two dozen communities in Dublin, Kildare, Meath, and Cork, with plans to expand nationwide.

 

It’s no longer just a place for women to connect. Sister Sheds now offers education programs to younger women, support to women with intellectual disabilities, or vulnerable women in marginalised communities. Its workshops include building confidence, and mental health and wellbeing support.

 

“It’s all about network building,” Sherin says. “You can attend a workshop, and you’ll always have your sisters with you.”

Sister Sheds members following a self-development session
Sister Sheds members following a self-development session

“It’s about support, empowerment, building connections, resilience, and confidence – values our organisation strives to instil in women.”

 

While gaining charity status in December 2023 has accelerated the expansion of Sister Sheds, it has also brought with it a whole host of new challenges for its co-founders.

 

That’s where Elavon, a global payments company with offices in Cherrywood and Arklow, came onboard as a corporate partner. While Elavon made a financial donation to Sister Sheds, it’s the skillset program it’s offering that has been most beneficial to Sherin and Rachel and others involved in Sister Sheds.

 

The program sees Elavon employees – including senior leadership – lend their time in areas of risk, finance, governance, marketing, and mentoring to ensure Sister Sheds can learn the business ropes, and continue to focus on helping women.

 

“As Sister Sheds grew, it became a struggle trying to keep it afloat. There were just so many elements of running a business and a charity that we didn’t know about. Having Elavon come onboard and being able to learn from its people has been a huge kickstart for us,” said Sherin.

 

When Orla McGuinness, Head of Marketing at Elavon in Europe, was introduced to Sherin and Rachel at a conference in Dublin last year, she knew Elavon had to be involved with Sister Sheds. She took the idea to its Managing Director, Declan Lynch, Maureen Stanley, Chief Risk Officer, and Stephen Groarke, Chief Financial Officer of Elavon in Europe, and leader of its Corporate Social Responsibility program.

 

“Hearing the work that Sherin and Rachel had done with Sister Sheds was inspiring. Their goal to empower and elevate women, and foster a sense of community aligned perfectly with our own goals,” Stephen says.

 

“We stepped back and thought, hang on, what can we offer Sister Sheds other than a cheque, that will give them real, tangible long-term benefits. As a large organisation, we have phenomenal people with diverse skills in running a business. We have a strong culture which is passionate about making a difference in our communities and brilliant people who want to make a personal and professional contribution. Giving Sister Sheds access to our people, and our skillsets, just made sense.”

 

“We see this as a long-term partnership. We want to help Sister Sheds expand across Ireland and give many more women a safe space to connect and find support.”

 

Sherin says the support of Elavon came at a pivotal time.

 

“We know how to support women, we know how to grow, and how to help women grow but the governance, the business side of things is something we’ve never done before. We’re blessed Elavon came in at the right time.”


About Elavon

Elavon is a leading global payments company with more than 4,300 employees and operations in 10 countries. A subsidiary of U.S. Bancorp (NYSE:USB), Elavon provides businesses with the technology needed to accept payments from customers, whether they are shopping in stores, at home or on the go.

Its platform is distinctive in that it is common across countries, making it easier for businesses to get their payment system up and running quickly and securely.

Elavon Financial Services DAC. Registered in Ireland – Number 418442.

Registered Office: Block F1, Cherrywood Business Park, Dublin 18, D18 W2X7, Ireland.

Elavon Financial Services DAC, trading as Elavon Merchant Services, is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.

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