Destigmatising abortion, one conversation at a time Our impact 2025
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Contents page
Message from Chair of the Board.....................................................Page 3 Impact at a glance................................................................................Page 4 Milestones this year.............................................................................Page 5 Our Talkline............................................................................................Page 6 Our Talkline volunteers......................................................................Page 13 Our workshops....................................................................................Page 15 Fundraising this year..........................................................................Page 18 Our plans for next year......................................................................Page 19 Thank you to our supporters............................................................Page 20 Charity commission Information....................................................Page 22
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As Chair of Abortion Talk, I am always deeply aware of the trust people place in us when they reach out. Behind every call or webchat is a person trying to make sense of something that can feel complicated, emotional or isolating. Being able to offer a calm, non-judgemental space at those moments is at the heart of why Abortion Talk exists.
This year has been one of learning and growth. We have reached more people, developed new ways to offer support, and continued to work with healthcare professionals and students to promote compassionate, respectful abortion care. None of this happens without the commitment, skill and generosity of our volunteers, staff and trustees, whose care for this work is evident in everything they do.
I am proud of what Abortion Talk has achieved this year, and grateful to our funders, partners and supporters who make this work possible. Most of all, I want to thank the people who contact us and trust us with their stories. Their experiences continue to guide and motivate our work.
Laura Russell Chair, Abortion Talk
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Message from Chair of the Board
Our impact at a glance
We are really proud of what we have achieved this year at Abortion Talk.
900 Talkline hours, now offered 4 days a week
433 Talkline conversations, 3 times as many as last year
Introduced our Talkline webchat, which now facilitates 43% conversations
12 new volunteers grew the Talkline team to 32
18 workshops across all 4 UK nations with more than 350 total attendees Developed Abortion Care Fundamentals course, piloting 10 workshops with more than 150 students
Partnered with all independent UK abortion providers
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Our milestones this year
We brought together 100 attendees to learn and share in our joint mission to destigmatise abortion.
Here are some of our highlights from the last year...
An essential new training offer for nurse and midwifery students
Growing the range of skills on our board and strengthening our governance.
Annual Abortion Talk & Doctors for Choice UK conference
Abortion care fundamentals workshop piloted
Recruited three new
trustees
Evaluation completed
Third volunteer cohort trained 12 new volunteers completed their training and brought our total number of Talkline volunteers to 32.
We can’t wait to share the findings soon.
Independent evaluation started
Webchat introduced
Helped us double the number of conversations we have about abortion.
We sought outside expertise to help us understand what we are doing well and what can be improved.
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Our Talkline
Let’s take a closer look at our Talkline impact...
----- Start of picture text -----
Since introducing webchat in April
2025, almost half of everyone who
We answered calls and chats from
reaches out now chooses this route.
433 people in 2024/25. This Webchat accounts for 43% of
represents nearly three times the contacts , compared with 35% via
number of contacts compared to
phone calls and 22% via requested
the previous year. call-backs.
500
400
Incoming call
35%
300
Webchat
43%
200
100
0
20/21 21/22 22/23 23/24 24/25
Callback
22%
----- End of picture text -----
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Our Talkline
We are available for whatever length of conversation people need , from quick questions to longer, in-depth support. While some contacts last under 15 minutes, over two-thirds go beyond this, reflecting the time and space many people need to talk.
----- Start of picture text -----
Less than 5
More than
minutes
45 minutes
11%
15%
5-15 minutes
22%
30-45 minutes
19%
15-30 minutes
33%
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We don’t always know how people find Abortion Talk, but almost one in four of our callers reach us through conversations with an abortion provider or information on a provider’s website. We are also listed on other healthcare provider websites, such as Brook, NHS Grampian and Sexual Health Wales.
Around one in five of the people who contact us find us via searching on Google , through our social media , or our website .
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Our Talkline
Most of our callers are considering their pregnancy options, seeking an abortion or have already had an abortion themselves. But we also speak to partners, family members and friends, as well as couples together.
Someone who is considering their pregnancy options 5% Someone who has experienced abortion/s Someone who is 36% seeking an abortion 53%
Someone who is connected to an abortion experience or decision
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6%
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Our Talkline
The people who have contacted us at Abortion Talk this year are not one kind of person. Like all people who have abortions, they are individuals living full, varied lives. And like any of us, their lives can be complicated.
Here is a snap shot of some parts of their identities or current situations, when they contacted us.
Our Talkline
The most common thing people want to discuss in their conversations with us is:
----- Start of picture text -----
Emotions about their experience 57
Personal relationships 56
How they feels about themselves 49
Pre-abortion feelings 45
Abortion decision-making support 43
Post-abortion feelings 36
Exploring pregnancy options 25
Emotions about work 9
Professional relationships 7
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
% of contacts
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Our Talkline
How do I
----- Start of picture text -----
get an
These are some of the feelings and I want to have an
abortion?
questions our callers have shared with us. abortion, but my
boyfriend doesn’t
support me.
I feel grief and sadness
about the abortion I had
last month - is this normal?
How do I best I’m worried about
It was right for me, but how
We just need
support my daughter, what other people will
do I process these someone to talk to
feelings? who is thinking about think, if I tell them I’ve about this - we
having an abortion? had an abortion.
aren’t ready to tell
our family.
I just found out I’m
pregnant. I can’t tell
anyone. I don’t know I’ve booked an abortion
what to do. Is it normal to feel sad
appointment, but now I’m
about an abortion I had a
not sure I want one, can I
year ago? My friend is
What’s the change my mind?
having a baby and it’s
difference between
really triggered me.
a medical and a
surgical abortion?
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These are some of the feelings and questions our callers have shared with us.
Our Talkline
It means a lot that our conversations have made a difference to those who contact us. Here’s some of the feedback we have received from Talkline users.
“I would have been lost with no options if it wasn’t for you - thank you ”
“It was nice to get things off my chest with someone anonymous who wasn’t judgemental about me or my experience.”
"[After my conversation with Abortion Talk] I feel "It really does help to more confident in making say some of this stuff a decision and I don’t feel out loud." as scared.”
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Our Talkline volunteers
Abortion Talk is powered by volunteers. A team of 32 operate our Talkline four evenings a week all through the year (with the exception of the period between Christmas and New Year). This year our Talkline volunteers provided 900 hours of support by telephone and webchat.
To join the talkline team, volunteers go through a robust selection and training process involving interviews, 15 hours of workshops and practice calls before taking their first live call. Training covers information about abortion methods and availability, the law in the UK, feelings around stigma, active listening, empathy, confidentiality and safeguarding.
“It was such a supportive “The training is environment with the thorough and a high training, and everything was level of support is done so compassionately and provided to carefully, and [with] the volunteers.” correct information.”
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Our Talkline volunteers
Our Talkline volunteers come from range of backgrounds including healthcare, advocacy, education, research, project management, design, youth work and more. They are united by their passion for creating safe, non-judgemental spaces for people to talk about their abortion experiences.
“At the end of a shift you realise how much of a difference you make - even if it's just to be a listening ear to someone who had no-one else to talk to”
Amy Ridler, Volunteer
“This work to destigmatise abortion as a vital and essential form of reproductive healthcare is more important now than ever" Aideen O'Shaughnessy, Volunteer
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Our workshops
Our workshops have had a huge impact this year too....
As well as the Talkline, Abortion Talk delivers specialist workshops for students, healthcare professionals and abortion advocates. These workshops cover abortion law, clinical practice, values clarification, emotional support, and nonstigmatising, respectful care. Building on a strong track record of delivering programmes in healthcare settings since 2021, this year we consolidated and expanded this work by continuing to deliver bespoke workshops while also developing and piloting new training programmes. This year we delivered 18 workshops reaching over 350 individuals across all four nations of the UK. This has doubled since last year, when we delivered 8 workshops.
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Our workshops
This year, we designed Abortion Care Fundamentals in partnership with the Open University. This new training was delivered in partnership with City University, the University of Northampton, and the Open University in Wales. Specifically for student nurses and midwives, these workshops provide participants with the knowledge, skills and valuesbased framework required to deliver non-judgemental abortion care.
This year, we delivered 10 pilot workshops reaching 156 nursing and midwifery students.
As part of the pilot, we worked with the Open University to evaluate these workshops. After the training: 97% of participants reported feeling confident talking to patients about abortio n (up from 32%, before the workshop) 92% felt prepared to answer patients’ questions (up from 21%, 97% reported understanding UK abortion law (up from 45%).
These results demonstrate the Fundamentals workshop’s effectiveness in preparing a workforce to provide accurate, compassionate, and non-stigmatising abortion care.
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Our workshops
We have had some great feedback from our workshop attendees...
“I have learnt so much and feel a lot more confident with abortion care.”
“The workshops provided to my unit were invaluable. Staff still talk about them and felt really empowered after them.”
“Staff have a better understanding of abortion, their thoughts and feelings on abortion and why people seek an abortion.”
“Many many thanks for such a truly fantastic workshop. I left on a total high, it was brilliant.”
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Fundraising this year
This year we received £21,200 from the Open University to carry out an independent evaluation of our services as well as further develop our workshop resources. We received £16,200 from sponsors including the three main independent abortion providers in the UK. The Fore supported us with a further £10,000 following on from their grant of £20,000 last year. Sales from workshops totalled £6,090 . The rest of our income came from individual donations, sales of merchandise, and Gift Aid.
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Our plans for the year ahead
This is important to ensure we remain effective, accountable, and well-placed to deliver our mission.
We have big plans for the year ahead. Here’s some of what we are looking forward to....
Reviewing and further strengthening our governance and Securing structure funding for our Abortion Care Fundamentals workshops
Training another cohort of volunteers
With more workshops volunteers we can further Funding will help us reach even more expand our nursing and midwifery opening hours, students, strengthening increasing knowledge and capacity and confidence in abortion enabling more care among the future people to access health workforce. timely, nonjudgemental support.
Growing our unrestricted income from individual donors and workshop sales Increased income will improve financial resilience and support long-term sustainability.
Reaching new audiences
We're partnering with the Academic Department of Military General Practice to develop a bespoke peersupport programme for women who need support with the unique challenges of navigating abortion while serving in the Armed Forces.
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Thank you to our partners, funders and donors without whose support we could not have had this impact.
Thank you for your support!
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Any questions about this report or how you can support our work destigmatising abortion? Contact us at info@abortiontalk.com. Visit our website to learn more about Abortion Talk and make a donation, or follow our us on social media.
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Charity commission information (1)
Abortion Talk is a charitable trust (charity commission registration number 297667) whose registered address is Crown House, 27 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3AX. We are governed by a Trust Deed which was last amended on 4 September 2023.
Abortion Talk’s only voting members are its charity trustees. The trustees all have an equal vote on all matters and manage the affairs of the trust. None have received benefits or claimed personal expenses from the trust. In appointing new trustees, regard is given to the knowledge, skills and experience needed for the effective administration of the trust. Operationally the trustees are supported by a small team of freelance contractors.
Established in 1987 and revitalised in 2021 after a period of dormancy, we have four strategic objectives:
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Develop and grow our Talkline, so that people who want to talk about their abortion experiences get the chance to be heard.
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Expand our workshops for healthcare providers, community groups and students, to address abortion stigma while promoting competent and compassionate care. 3. Develop Abortion Talk’s infrastructure, so that we’re ready to grow. 4. Support our partners in their campaigns to challenge abortion stigma more widely.
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Charity commission information (2)
Our trustees during the annual report period (1 October 2024 - 30 September 2025) were:
Hannah Brearley (appointed 28 October 2024, resigned 10 June 2025) Charlotte Chung (appointed 28 October 2024) Mara Clarke (appointed 28 October 2024) Jane Fisher Sally Gimson (resigned 28 October 2024) Zoe Macalpine Chowa Nkonde (resigned 28 October 2024) Laura Russell (Chair) Wendy Savage (resigned 28 October 2024) Helen Timbrell (appointed 28 October 2024) Hayley Webb Samuel Yosef
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Charity commission information (3)
The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP; make judgments and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business.
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable
them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2015 and the provisions of the trust deed. They are also responsible for safekeeping the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Signed on behalf of the trustees,
Laura Russell, Chair of the Board of Trustees
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Statement of independent examiner (1)
Independent Examiner's Report to the Members of Abortion Talk, Year Ended 30 September 2025
I report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 30 September 2025.
Respective Responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner
The trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed.
Having satisfied myself that the charity is not subject to audit under charity law and is eligible for independent examination, it is my responsibility to:
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examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act;
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to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act; and
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to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of Independent Examiner's Report
My examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair view' and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
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Statement of independent examiner (2)
Independent Examiner's Statement
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
(1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:
• to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; and
• to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the Charities Act
have not been met; or
- (2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Jane Ascroft FCA MA (Cantab) Chartered Accountant (ICAEW) and Independent examiner
Enterprise House Harmire Enterprise Park Barnard Castle County Durham DL12 8XP
10th December 2025
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Income and expenditure (1)
Abortion Talk - charity registration number 297667. Receipts and payment accounts (For the year ended 30 September 2025)
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Income and expenditure (2)
Abortion Talk - charity registration number 297667. Statement of assets and liabilities (For the year ended 30 September 2025)
Laura Russell 26 January 2026
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