The Sue Lambert Trust works with survivors of childhood sexual abuse, rape, sexual assault and domestic violence, offering support to help survivors come to terms with what has happened to them. They offer a safe, secure environment where people are listened to, believed and accepted. I have seen first hand the hard work this charity does and the support they give is phenomenal.

My intentions for sharing my story is also to raise awareness of mental health and how important it is to access the right support as early as possible. I have received and continue to gain support from professionals and my support network of friends and family around me. I have learned that suffering in silence allows my mental health to spiral. I am a survivor of rape and am continuing to deal with the trauma this has caused me. I want to give something back to the charity that has supported me through some very difficult times. I will be cycling the London to Brighton with the aim of raising donations for this amazing charity.

My story:
I met someone and entered a very short relationship. This was my first serious relationship and wasn't positive. Although it was short lived this person continued to harass and attempt to intimidate me long after I ceased contact.
I was left feeling emotions that I was unable to express. By not speaking out, my mental health was effected. My mental health also affected my everyday life and resulted in me struggling with my studies and feeling the pressure of exams. One of the symptoms of this was panic attacks, leaving me feeling unable to continue with every day tasks, I stopped doing the things I enjoyed, I was terrified of leaving the house in case I had a panic attack in front of someone and hated the thought of people I know seeing me at my weakest. I shut down and entered deep into myself, this progressed to depression. I didn't know how to move forward and at times my thoughts were dark and I didn't want to continue. Everything was a struggle. 
Eventually I spoke to an amazing staff member at college who supported me to access the help I needed. After numerous appointments and meeting my psychiatrist I was then diagnosed with various mental illnesses, this was a starting point, I knew what I had to work with.

In October 2016 after receiving support from Mind I was put on the waiting list to receive counselling from the Sue Lambert Trust, and in February this year I started seeing my counsellor. At first I was nervous but soon realised there was no need for nerves, the staff were very welcoming and made me feel safe, even when I was struggling to talk about things they knew which questions to ask to prompt me along the way.

Nearly a year on things were starting to look up and I was approaching final exams when a colleague asked me to accompany her on holiday to Turkey. The thought of a relaxing holiday in the sun sounded ideal. In June this year after enjoying the evening in a restaurant next door to our hotel I was raped by the waiter after he had followed me to the toilets. Because of everything The Sue Lambert Trust had taught me, I knew I wasn't to blame myself. I was determined not to let it affect me the way it did before, I didn't want to see myself go backwards. The trauma of everything I had been through was distressing enough, I then had to endure how I was treated by both the Turkish Police and the staff at the hospital. This all made it very hard to process what had actually happened.

I arrived back home on the Friday night and spent the next few days in and out of hospital and different appointments because of the pain the Turkish hospital had left me with. As I was already seeking support from The Sue Lambert Trust I was due to have my next counselling session on the Monday. Things hadn't really sunk in yet so I was able to tell my counsellor everything that a happened. It's very rare for services like this to be able to have intervention this early on and I can honestly say with the support of my family and the help The Sue Lambert Trust had given they had caught me before I fell. I'm still a long way off getting back to normal, but I'm heading in the right direction and keeping positive for the future.

On the 16th of September 2018 myself and a few family members will be doing the London to Brighton Bike Ride to raise money to help The Sue Lambert Trust continue giving the help and support to those in need. It would mean a lot to me if you could spare some money for such a well deserved charity that I am forever going to keep close to my heart.

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