Thank you for your generosity and time to visit this Just Giving page.

Your donation will help Rising Sun Domestic Violence & Abuse Service support women and children affected by domestic abuse in Canterbury and East Kent. 

Including Outreach Support, Counselling, awareness groups in schools, training for agencies on domestic abuse, children's activities, Creche, legal advice and help for young families seeking shelter - typically pregnant young women (aged 16-24) who have experienced abuse and are at risk of homelessness. 

You can find out more of their supported accommodation and their mission with the Cantercare House HERstay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STq9KiIdml4

Cantercare House offers safe, modern and comfortable accommodation in an informal, non-judgemental and non-institutional environment. Residents will each have a key worker and support worker and regular 1:1 meetings to review support plans and assess ongoing needs and targets. They will access a range of interventions including advocacy and mediating, 1:1 therapy and counselling, life skills training such as bonding with your baby, good parenting, resilience, simple health and hygiene, budgeting, healthy eating and general health care and healthy relationships.

I'm running the Virtual (Virgin) London Marathon to raise money for a life-saving supported accommodation with services for victims who require protection and hope of a new start.

I'll be running along the Pilgrim's Way to the charity based in Canterbury. An historic route of pilgrimage for sanctuary and important for my own personal journey for salvation.

#SAFEFROMHARM 

According to UN Women "One in three women worldwide experience physical or sexual violence mostly by an intimate partner. Violence against women and girls is a human rights violation. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, emerging data and reports from those on the front lines, have shown that all types of violence against women and girls, particularly domestic violence, has intensified." 

(https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/in-focus-gender-equality-in-covid-19-response/violence-against-women-during-covid-19#facts)

This "Shadow Pandemic" has revealed a sharp increase in the awareness and an increase in reports of domestic abuse here in the UK. This situation was too often concealed from view as abusive treatment takes place within the expected safety and sanctuary of a home, without relief, and fear of homelessness, without suitable alternative accommodation.

Any form or extent of abuse, psychological, physical, emotional as well as infringements on personal liberty and independence in any relationship can destroy lives. Codewords at local pharmacies, emergency contact numbers, dialling combinations and coughing gestures to desperately seek help, just demonstrates the challenge that people face daily to escape and survive abusive behaviour.

Supporting this charity is important to me as it offers safety to others avoiding the only option of homelessness; hope, where the outlook may seem helpless; and genuine care and protection, where people are too afraid to seek proper support.  The charity objectives are to prevent a perpetual cycle of psychological pain and suffering. 

References:

• Crime Survey of England and Wales (CSEW) estimated 1.6 million women aged 16 to 74 years experienced domestic abuse in the last year (ONS, 2019).

• In April - June 2020 roughly one-fifth of all offences recorded by the police were flagged as domestic abuse-related, which represents an increase of around five percentage points compared with the same period in previous years

• The number of arrests for domestic abuse-related crimes between 1 April - June 2020 increased by 24% compared with the same period in the previous year.

• According to CSEW data for the year ending March 2018, only 18% of women who had experienced partner abuse in the last 12 months reported the abuse to the police.

• A report published by Women’s Aid in August 2020 found over 90% (91%) of respondents currently experiencing domestic abuse said the Covid-19 pandemic had negatively impacted in at least one way. Of those women living with their abuser during lockdown, 61% said the abuse had worsened. More than two-thirds (68%) said they felt they had no one to turn to during lockdown. 

('Perfect Storm' full report: https://www.womensaid.org.uk/a-perfect-storm-the-impact-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-on-domestic-abuse-survivors-and-the-services-supporting-them/)

Charity details:

Rising Sun, 23a Military Road,
Canterbury, CT1 1YX
Registered Charity Number: 289253

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