Founded in 2009 by Duncan Craig, following his own experiences as searching for help to deal with the impact of sexual abuse, Survivors Manchester works with boys and men who have experienced sexual abuse, rape and sexual exploitation. Providing males and their partners, friends and families, with safe spaces to explore the impact of sexual violation, gives them the ability to #BreakTheSilence and develop new ways of healing to cope and recover and make choices for the future that don't have the shadows of the past.

I chose to break my silence recently via a podcast - a link to which you can find here:

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/episode-008-breakthesilence-guest-episode-duncan-craig/id1366601692?i=1000419863030&mt=2

https://soundcloud.com/user-607524162/episode-008-breakthesilence

I was sexually exploited around aged 8 by a boy who was around 11 years old. For 20 years I kept this to myself as I carried feelings of shame and guilt. I also didn't acknowledge what happened as abuse, which complicated my healing. Thanks to Survivors Manchester, I'm now able to call myself a survivor. I feel the wounds of shame have healed so much over the last 5 years since I first got support and now I'm ready to share my story to help others.

Survivors Manchester was critical in my recovery and that's why I'm seeking donations, so they can continue their great work.