Hey you! Read to find out why you should donate!
Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. If you wish to donate, all you have to do is hit the red "donate" button that's in the top right of the page. If you would like to know a little more about why I think you should donate, please read on.

Why donate to this page?
I'm 31 years old and for most of my life, I had been ignorant to the issues surrounding domestic violence until it affected me. It's not something that's easy to see the symptoms of, it's not something that people will easily talk about and it can be tremendously difficult for victims to help themselves.

Only after knowing some of my friends for many years did I find out that a surprising many of them had been victims of a type of domestic violence at some point in their lives.

Knowing somebody who is currently a victim of domestic abuse can be a very difficult situation and often it will take more than the support of one person to remove the victim from the situation and ensure their safety.

Standing Together Against Domestic Violence works to promote a co-ordinated, multi-agency community response to domestic violence. This approach recognises that no one agency can tackle domestic violence effectively if acting alone. Without effective coordination of activities between agencies, responses are less effective and survivors of domestic violence are still at risk of falling through the gaps in the system.

Why don't these victims just leave?
The gains, risks and losses facing each survivor who is deciding whether to leave the abusive partner are unique. However, we know some key points about the process of separation and leaving that may make it extremely difficult to leave:

• Separation is known to be a high risk time for survivors: some perpetrators become much more dangerous when they think their partner is leaving. So safety cannot be guaranteed as a result of leaving, and safety planning and risk assessment by agencies is crucial at this time.
  
• The losses of leaving (home, job, schools, family and friends, financial etc.) are concrete, usually felt immediately, and are about meeting basic human needs. The gains of leaving, on the other hand, are not guaranteed, may take a very long time to be experienced and are often about hopes (e.g. for peace of mind or  independence) rather than tangible. 
  
• The pressures exerted by perpetrators to return can be great, and leaving an intimate partner or family is a major life decision, having to be taken at a time of fear and risk, often without any information about what will happen as a result, or what support will be available. 
  
• Leaving may not be a final decision and may take some time and several attempts to complete safely.
  

Links with more information and other resources:

• Standing Together Against Domestic Violence Website
  
• Domestic Violence - Where to get help
  
• Support and information for victims, their friends and family.
  
• Mark's Twitter
  

London Marathon, you say?
That's right! In true charity money raising fashion, I will be running 26 miles (and an extra 385 yards thanks to the Royal Family) - that's 42.195km on the 26th April 2015, which will be the 35th London Marathon.

Have you ever run a marathon before?
Unfortunately for me, no. The farthest I have ever run before is 20km, not even half a marathon and this took me well over 2 hours to complete, so I have a long way to go. I'll be posting videos and pictures of my training on the page. If you have any advice for me, it is most welcome!

Thanks for your time, please take action and donate!
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