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This year I have entered Tough Mudder with a group of my Insane friends. Even though we are a Team Everyone is supporting their own important charity.  I am doing this to raise money for my chosen charity “The First Step” previously known as KDVSS (Knowsley Domestic Violence Support Services).

This charity is extremely close to my heart as it was the place that supported me when I needed safety and to rebuild myself following a violent, abusive relationship.  I am definitely one of the lucky few who was able to access this fantastic service and I would like to ensure that the project continues to run so anyone else who finds themselves in the position I was, has someone to turn to and a safe haven to go to.  It made such a huge difference to be greeted with a smile and treated with respect.  The First Step is a place where you are not judged and given a time limit, every person is different and we were all cared for individually.  I really hope this place continues for many years as I don't know how I would have survived without it!!

The First Step Centre works with victim survivors of Domestic Abuse.

Some Statistics of Domestic Abuse:-

The term domestic abuse describes a continuum of behaviour ranging from isolation, verbal abuse, harassment, stalking, threats and intimidation, manipulative coercive behaviour, physical and sexual assault, to rape and
murder.

• 1 in 4 women in the UK will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime.
Official figures that show nearly 5 million women, or 30% of the adult
female population, have experienced some form of domestic abuse since age 16

• 1 in 5 women will experience sexual assault in their lifetime. 51% of serious sexual assaults including rape were committed by current or former partner
of the victim

• 1 in 20 women were stalked last year and 1 in 5 women will experience
stalking in their lifetime

• Women are at greatest risk of homicide at the point of separation or
within six months of leaving a violent partner

• Every week, two women are killed by their current or former partners.
(This does not include murders that are not recorded as domestic homicide or suicide.) Imagine if that was two footballers or politicians a week – do you think the response to this issue would be different?

• 94% of defendants who were charged with crimes of violence against
woman and girls were men. From those cases with recorded gender, the
proportion of women victims was 84% (CPS Violence against Women and Girls Crime Report 2011-2012)

• Merseyside Police (Merseyside population 1.38 million) recorded 32,511 incidents of domestic abuse in 2011/12 which equates to 89 calls for assistance every day across Merseyside. This number of recorded incidents was the third largest number after London (population 8.3m and number of recorded incidents 118,079) and West Yorkshire (population 2.2 million and number of recorded incidents 36,725) (House of Commons Library, December 2013)

So what will the funds I raise be used for?

All donations will go directly to the Service Users Fund, they do not pay for the building cost or staff wages like some charities might!!

£100 per month could sponsor women and children to a place of safety away from Knowsley …. or it could provide extra safety measures in the home such as fire bags, security lights, locks, etc.

£50 per month could provide food and clothing for women and children who have fled abuse – we provide basic toiletries and groceries in the form of a ‘welcome pack’ to all women who come into our refuge

£15 per month could provide personal security items

£10 per month could buy a mobile phone to replace the one smashed up by an abusive partner

£5 per month could provide transport for a woman to access legal support

Thanks for reading this and for your support

Becky

[Statistics of DA and examples of what your donations could fund have been reproduced from www.thefirststep.org.uk with permission]