In the UK, domestic abuse will affect 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men in their lifetime. It leads to, on average, two women being murdered each week and 30 men per year.

In Brighton & Hove, more than 10 incidents of domestic abuse are reported every day, and the local police force respond to over 4,000 calls a year.

Yet domestic abuse is still a largely hidden crime; research suggests just 20% of incidents are reported. On average, a woman will be attacked 35 times before reporting it to the police.

For my first ever (and most likely last!) half marathon, I have chosen to raise money for RISE, an independent domestic abuse charity based in Brighton.

RISE stands for Refuge, Information, Support and Education. They offer practical help ranging from direct advice to refuge space. They also work in schools to prevent repetitive patterns that occur throughout generations. Their specialist service for LGBT domestic abuse survivors
was the first of its kind in England.

Every year RISE supports over 1,800 women and their families to recover and reclaim their lives. However, it costs £4,567 PER DAY to provide all the services they offer.

For this reason I am determined to run my socks off in order to make a contribution to RISE’s amazing work. Please help me by donating what you can.