How funded leadership training helped Operational Manager Aimee McKean grow in her role and steer Stand Against Violence more effectively.
Stand Against Violence (SAV) is a Somerset charity creating an impact across the country, working to prevent violence through training, education and early intervention. After Covid and the cost-of-living crisis, the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service-recognised charity had to tighten budgets, reduce staff, and rebuild. By 2025, SAV employed only three members of staff, and much of the pressure sat with Aimee.
When she joined the charity in 2022, SAV was steadying itself after a period of real uncertainty.
“We made redundancies in 2023 and It felt like we were starting from scratch,” Aimee says. “I was keeping everything going, but we weren’t always sure we knew the best way forward.”
Aimee had already joined us for our half‑day HR session, and Lunch & Learn sessions for her and the core team. These helped, but Aimee knew she and SAV needed something more. When she heard about our SPF‑funded Leadership Bootcamp, she decided it was time to take a step back and invest in herself, even though the timing felt impossible. Childcare, staff shortages, and the fear of being out of the organisation for a certain amount of time all played on her mind.
Learning to step back
One of the first surprises was simple but powerful. Taking time to refocus and learn was an investment that benefited everyone.
“The world didn’t come crashing down. After the first couple of sessions, I stopped checking my emails over lunch or breaks. It made me realise the organisation could still function, and that I needed to let it.”
That moment alone eased some pressure and helped her see leadership as something shared, not carried.
Practical tools
Every week on the course offered Aimee something new she could take straight back and implement in her work, including:
- Understanding work styles and team personas
- Approaching conflict earlier, rather than smoothing everything over
- Delegating without circling back to check every detail
- Managing time with intention, not firefighting
- Setting boundaries around time and focus
“There was an important lesson every week,” she says. “It boosted me. Although a lot of what I learned I had covered before or knew deep down, it gave me the structure to push it forward, as well as the affirmation I needed to see I was doing a great job. That built my confidence.”
“There was an important lesson every week… It gave me the structure to push it forward, as well as the affirmation I needed to see I was doing a great job. That built my confidence.”
Aimee McKean, Operational Manager – Stand Against Violence
Ripples of confidence
The impact didn’t stop with Aimee.
Processes became clearer. The team felt steadier. Decisions were quicker. The whole organisation became more confident. And for the CEO, Adam Fouracre, who founded SAV after his brother Lloyd was murdered, the change was profound.
“He says he doesn’t have to worry,” Aimee says. “Adam works full time in clinical care for the NHS. Now I’m a more confident leader, he has been able to step back from SAV day-to-day, and really just aid me and contribute towards our long-term goals.”
The Bootcamp didn’t just change how Aimee led SAV, it changed how she saw her role in her community. She became interim Chair at the Street & District Swim Club, leading the club through a period of change and preventing it from folding.
“I felt like the right person for the role. Because of the course I had even more confidence and I had additional skills.”
From surviving to thriving
Only a year earlier, Stand Against Violence was in survival mode. Today, it has reserves, stability and a renewed sense of direction. Most importantly, it has leadership capacity and focus, something no organisation can afford to lose.
SPF support didn’t just boost Aimee’s confidence. It strengthened an entire organisation. It prevented leadership burnout and ensured a national‑impact charity kept delivering and showed what becomes possible when Somerset charities get the right support at the right moment.
Aimee puts it simply: “It changed me. And it changed us. It taught me the importance of strategy, the wider team, networking and getting out more. I love to be busy – life is an adventure! But the course also taught me to look longer-term and to take time for myself!”
Read more about our Leadership and skills training in our SPF Impact Report.
Looking for training or peer support opportunities? Visit our training & events page to find out more.
