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not so long ago I left my husband after an eight-year relationship, most
 of which was abusive. My ex-partner was manipulative, controlling,
emotionally damaging and physically violent and it took me a long time
to pluck up the courage to actually leave, which I finally did in
October 2015. Last week my decree absolute (final stage of legal divorce
 for those that don’t know!) came through, and I wanted to celebrate by
having a huge party. However, the more I thought about it, the more I
realised that I should actually do something useful with this rather
than just have a piss-up with a few mates. So, what I would like to do
instead is organise a fund-raising event for victims of domestic
violence with proceeds going to the charities that helped me during the
two months I was living in a women’s refuge, while I fought through the
courts to regain access to my own home, and those that helped me regain
my sense of self in the long recovery period afterwards. I was one of
the lucky ones – not only did I win my court case and get an ongoing
court order decreeing that he can never come within 200 metres of my
home, but I have recently been able to purchase that same home rather
than renting and am now in a position of stability and safety. There are
 many thousands of other women in this country alone who are not nearly
so lucky, or more importantly don’t have access to the same support
network and resources that I did. In my time at the refuge I was able to
 talk to many other women about their experiences and it was
heart-breaking. Many are victims not only of domestic violence but also
of an under-educated social system and unfair legal system that make it
highly unlikely that they will ever be able to break the chain of abuse
without huge amounts of support from vastly under-funded organisations,
which are what I would like to go a little way towards helping

The event will take place at the Post Office Social Club on October 22nd 2017, with a full programme of live music and comedy, an auction for local arts and crafts, tombola / raffle, stalls, games, food and more.