I am fighting on Sunday 3rd December 2023 to raise money for the charity Family Matters.

I work as an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) for Family Matters (FM), which has given me the most rewarding opportunity to support victims of sexual abuse through the Criminal Justice Process. At FM, we have an ISVA service and a therapy service. The therapy service provides up to 12 free one-to-one sessions. Our ISVA service provides emotional and practical support to victims of sexual abuse whilst they are going through the Criminal Justice Process.

The reason I chose boxing as a sport to raise money for FM is because boxing, for many, is a positive outlet to release anger in a controlled environment, whilst also building important skills such as confidence and self-esteem which a lot of victims lose when they experience sexual abuse. Anger is one of the many different effects that victims of sexual abuse experience.

FM are one of the few charities that offer support to victims of sexual abuse in Kent, yet we still have long waiting lists. Our current waiting list for therapy is up to approximately 44 weeks long. One of my aims in the future is to become a counsellor to provide cheaper services for those who cannot afford therapy, so everyone has a chance to heal.

Please see the below to see what your greatly appreciated donations would go towards.

- £5 will go towards helping us provide support to those who have been sexually abused.

- £15 will provide a play therapy kit for young victims who have been sexually abused.

- £25 will provide a one-to-one specialist therapy session.

- £50 will provide a one-to-one play therapy session for a child who has been sexually abused.

- £700 will pay for a full 12 one-to-one therapeutic counselling sessions for someone who has been sexually abused.

- £8000 would fund a specialist counsellor to work one day a week for a year to see 12 clients for almost 150 sessions.

If you would like to support me in my efforts for Family Matters, please donate to the cause!

For information about Family Matters: https://www.familymattersuk.org/

Thank you!

Ell x