In the beginning All those women who were suffering from the backstreet abortionist – I had this marvellous, wonderful thought… we could start seeing unmarried women…Here was the very thing that would make women free.Helen Brook, speaking to BBC Radio 4 in 1989Listen to the full interview (8 mins) Founded by Helen Brook in 1964, Brook blazed a trail by empowering unmarried women to take charge of their sexual health at a time when it was deemed controversial. Helen Brook was a pioneer in sexual and reproductive rights. In 1964, in a bid to reduce the number of illegal abortions, Helen Brook blazed a trail by founding the first Brook clinic and empowering unmarried women to take charge of their sexual health. Despite fierce opposition, she refused to let stigma stand in the way of what was needed, and continued to provide free contraception and confidential sexual health advice. Today Brook is proud to continue in her pioneering footsteps by providing high quality, holistic sexual health and wellbeing services that meet the evolving needs of young people under 25. Our journey In the year it launched, over 500 women visited the first Brook clinic in London. Since then, Brook has not only continued to deliver essential frontline services, but has expanded into education, training and advocacy. Brook now works nationwide to fight for a society in which clinical provision, law, policy and practice are aligned with what young people tell us they want and need. Find out more about our work Brook in pictures From the Brook archives: a glimpse into our past. Couple visiting a Brook centre, 1960sAttendees at the Brook AGM, 1971DJ and presenter Stuart Henry visiting London Brook, 1970sAgony aunts presenting a petition to Downing Street in support of unders 16s obtaining confidential medical advice, 1985Helen Brook with Birmingham band Fuzzbox, mid-late 1980sGroup of young men at a sex education session, 1990sGirls having a sex ed session at a London Brook Centre, 1990s