30 Cold Plunges for Survivor Sanctuary — Justice Beyond the Verdict

Today is World Day of Social Justice, I’m starting a challenge that’s about more than cold water.

I’m doing 30 cold plunges (in my garden and through wild swimming) to raise £1,000 for Survivor Sanctuary, a survivor-led grassroots organisation I founded in 2022 offering peer support and community for survivors of sexual violence. You can learn more about our work here.

This challenge ends on 23 March, the second anniversary of my trial verdict.

I also want to be honest: the criminal justice process was traumatic from start to finish. It took 2 years and 2 months to get to trial. The waiting, the uncertainty, and then being cross-examined changed me and I’m still finding my way back to myself. You can read my blog to learn about my experience of the criminal justice system and why I've chose this challenge (spoiler alert, I detest being cold).

Funding survivor-led sexual violence work is one of the hardest parts of sustaining Survivor Sanctuary. We’ve faced rejection that can feel painfully personal, especially when it mirrors the wider reality survivors already know: that people often turn away from this kind of harm. Survivors deserve consistent, accessible, resourced support. Your donation helps keep this community alive.

Survivor Sanctuary creates spaces where survivors can be heard, be held, and not be alone. Through peer support, community gatherings, practical acts of collective care and holistic therapies. We also campaign for change, because survivors deserve more than survival: we deserve safety, dignity and systems that are built to protect us, not break us.

How you can support?

If you can, please donate. If money is tight, sharing this page is a huge help.

I’ll be sharing reflections and myth-busting posts throughout the challenge, and others will be joining me too, because justice and change are things we build together. You can follow my journey via our Instagram @survivor_sanctuary_cov

If you believe survivors deserve more than survival, this is a moment to act. Donate if you can. Share because you can. Either way, help us keep Survivor Sanctuary open.