October is Domestic Abuse Awareness Month, and today I started my 62 Miles in October for Refuge. 💜

Five miles are already done. 57 to go.

But for me, this challenge is incredibly personal.

I know what it is like to live with domestic abuse. And I also know that abuse does not necessarily end when a relationship ends.

I still experience abuse and coercive control from my sons’ dad today.

People sometimes ask, “Why don’t you just walk away?” But domestic abuse is not always something you can simply walk away from, particularly when you share children with the person abusing you.

It isn’t only physical violence.

It can be coercive control. Intimidation. Harassment. Manipulation. Fear. The constant wearing down of another person until it affects every corner of their life.

I record what happens, but like many people experiencing domestic abuse, I have chosen not to pursue everything through the courts. For me, protecting my children and trying to give them stability has always been at the centre of the decisions I make.

This weekend, things became so overwhelming that I ended up in hospital.

But I am still here. And I am walking.

I genuinely believe there is light at the end of the tunnel. I just need to keep moving until I reach it.

That is why Refuge means so much to me.

On any given day, Refuge supports thousands of women and their children experiencing domestic abuse, helping families find safety and begin rebuilding their lives.

Some women arrive at a refuge with little more than the clothes they are wearing. Donations can help provide food, toiletries and other essentials for those frightening first nights.

Just £19 could help pay for a call to the Helpline, supporting a woman taking her first step towards safety and a life free from fear.

So every one of these 62 miles has a purpose.

If sharing a little of my own story helps another woman realise that abuse isn't always a bruise, or helps raise money so that somebody else can find safety, then every mile will be worth it.

If you can donate, even £1, I would be incredibly grateful. If you can't donate, sharing my fundraising page would mean just as much.

5 miles down. 57 to go. 💜

For the women still living it.

For the children caught in the middle.

And for everyone still walking towards the light at the end of their own tunnel.

Thank you. 💜