Hello!

I'm running my second half marathon in support of Leicester Rape Crisis at Jasmine House who have suffered a huge funding cut which could see them have to close. They are the only centre in the city for women and girls who have experienced rape and sexual abuse. If they close there will be no organisation providing these services within Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, and women and girls in crisis will have to travel much further afield to access the support they need.

Leicester Rape Crisis is a charity that has been supporting survivors of sexual violence since 1981. They have five part time staff who support over 350 survivors each year. and they rely on the professional services of over 20 skilled counsellors who volunteer over 4,000 hours of face to face support work and counselling. They receive over 2,000 telephone calls to their Helpline each year and provide support to survivors whose lives have been affected by sexual violence.

It costs them £325 to provide support to each woman who walks through their door. Last year, through the sponsorship I received when running the Leicester Half Marathon and through the Stand Up For Rape Crisis event at the Y, we managed to raise over £5000.

I would like to continue fundraising this year by raising £500 to run the Market Harborough Half Marathon on 10th June.

Leicester Rape Crisis is an essential service in Leicester and if we can help keep them open then they can continue to provide vital support for women and girls in the city, support which can be life saving.

More information about Leicester Rape Crisis can be found here http://jasminehouse.org.uk/