One in four women will experience domestic abuse in her lifetime. Two women a week are killed by a current or former partner in England and Wales alone.

Refuge's National Domestic Abuse Helpline is a gateway to domestic abuse services across the country and is often the first place a woman experiencing domestic abuse will receive the emotional and practical support she needs.

At the start of the pandemic the Helpline experienced a 64% increase in calls and contacts, incoming and outgoing. Visits to the National Domestic Abuse Helpline website increased seven-fold. Even though lockdowns have been lifted demand remains high.

Through fundraising we aim to support Refuge's National Domestic Abuse Helpline to:

-Provide more support sessions to women, implement a new contact centre platform to increase efficiency and enable the team to speak to more women

-Provide enhanced support to women seeking refuge facing additional barriers to accessing support, inclusive of the introduction of a dedicated refuge referrals line

-Maintain accessible services, inclusive of online live chat services and British Sign Language services

This is more than a Helpline: Its a lifeline

With your support we can change and save more lives this year