Domestic abuse affects 1 in 4 women in Northern Ireland, and recent records show that incidents have increased in the past year. Throughout the pandemic, going in and out of lockdowns was difficult for everyone, however for those being subjected to abuse by their partner, being trapped at home was far from safe. An for many women, the fear and isolation we all felt at times over the past two years continues to be a daily occurrence.

Here at Belfast and Lisburn Women's Aid we remained open throughout all lockdowns, and have continually done our best to support the women and children who needed us despite the ongoing pandemic. We started 2021 with hope and positivity for a new year, wanting to unite the local community with a common cause whilst continuing to spread our message - and thus the #10KbyMay challenge was born! Following it's successful debut, this year we want to continue to unite the community around us whilst raising awareness and funds for our vital, life-changing services.

The 10K by May challenge is an opportunity to not only raise awareness and funds, but also to create a community of supporters, of like-minded people who are passionate and want to get stuck into what we do. It's also a chance to encourage people like you to stay active whilst promoting a healthy, happy lifestyle within the local community in the wake of an extremely trying two years.

We have a fundraising target of £10,000 by the 31st of May. We've set the target high because we believe that the people of Belfast and Lisburn are more than capable of coming together to support us and the work that we do in the community. Plus, who doesn't like a challenge!

Sound good so far? Let's give you a little more info about the challenge itself...

- You do NOT have to run! We want as many people to join in with us, so you do not have to run the 10K, although you can if you want to. You could also walk it, you can cycle or swim - you can even skip if that's what you enjoy best! You could also split the distance over a few days - as long as you're up-front with your sponsors about the way you're going to complete the challenge, we're happy for you to do it in whatever way you like.

- There will not be an event held at a specific location so as to give participants the freedom to take on the challenge wherever they want to. Despite this, we will be encouraging participants to undertake their 10K in the month of May if they can.

- We're encouraging anyone to sign up! Adults, children, even babies in prams! We'd love as many people as possible to get involved in our campaign, so we're happy whether you're a family who want to take on the challenge together or a seasoned runner ready to face it alone.

We really hope you'll consider signing up to our #10KbyMay challenge - if you want to find out more click here. To sign up now, click here .

If you don't fancy signing up yourself, please consider sharing with your friends and family, or pledging a donation in support of our participants.

Many thanks,

Team BLWA