‘Fast-track plan to protect women’
Royal Borough: Council urged to hurry along a scheme to tackle issue of violence against females
The Windsor branch of the Women’s Equality Party has urged the council to ‘fast-track’ a proposal and set up a working group to tackle the issue of violence against women and girls in the borough.
The White Ribbon proposal was put forward in December after the results of a survey found that 72 per cent of female respondents would not feel safe exercising after dark in Windsor.
The branch is now urging the council to prioritise this proposal following the death of Sarah Everard from south London. Wayne Couzens, 48, a serving Met police officer has been charged with kidnap and murder in connection with the incident.
Victoria Anderson-Adair, joint lead for the Women’s Equality Party Windsor branch said: “Our conversations with councillors and the new equalities and community
engagement officer regarding the proposal have been positive so far.
“We understand that bureaucratic process takes time, but we now need our councillors to prioritise the proposal in order to give a loud and clear message to the residents, communities, and organisations within the borough that violence against women and girls will not be tolerated.”
White Ribbon UK was founded in 2005 and is part of a global movement to end male violence against women. It is a charity that works with men and boys to challenge those male cultures that lead to harassment, abuse and violence.
There are a number of public sector bodies in the UK which have achieved accreditation, although RBWM would be the first local authority in Berkshire to do so if the proposal is adopted.
Alison Bourne, CEO of Dash Charity, and whose name is also on the proposal, said: “It is imperative that we all work collaboratively to end violence against women and girls and help our residents to achieve the basic human right of feeling safe in their community. We can achieve great things when we all work together.”
In response, Councillor Stuart Carroll, cabinet member for adult social care, children’s services, health and mental health, said: “We have been working with Women’s Equality Windsor to investigate the White Ribbon accreditation and potentially becoming the first local authority in Berkshire to achieve this.
“We are at the stage of gaining input from White Ribbon UK on the accreditation
as well as consulting with staff and partners, including The Dash Charity which provides support to those who have witnessed or experienced domestic abuse. This is to ensure that the accreditation process will be fully supported, and to understand the work needed to achieve accreditation status and how this will be used by the council.
“We have also been working with Women’s Equality Windsor to support areas such
as the safety of women while out running after dark. This included identifying local partners to support ongoing research in this area.
“We have extended our partnership with The Dash Charity with a one-year contract extension, valued at £97,000, from April 1 this year and this will support an independent domestic violence advisor service, an outreach domestic abuse service and a children’s restorative programme.”
A Maidenhead children’s hospice has asked its supporters to leave ‘legacy’ donations to the charity in their wills to ensure it can carry on helping children for years to come.
The Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service, based in Snowball Hill, has launched its Gift in Wills appeal to mark its 14th anniversary in the hope that its supporters become part of the charity’s legacy.
Having joined up with online will expert Beyond, the charity is giving supporters the chance to write their will for free to encourage them to leave a donation and help ensure the charity will carry on supporting children for another 14 years.
Today, the charity supports 130 children with lifelimiting and life-threatening conditions, as well as their families.
Fiona Devine, CEO and cofounder of Alexander Devine, said: “This month is a special one for our charity.
It is special because it marks the foundation of my son Alexander’s incredible legacy.
“It was 14 years ago, a year after Alexander had died, that we started on our journey to create a muchneeded children’s hospice service for Berkshire.
“Sustaining and building on his legacy is something we can’t do on our own. We rely nearly entirely on the generosity of others to make sure we can continue to provide lifeline care to those that need it.
“We hope that people will
consider this extraordinary way of giving. Something that won’t cost them anything now, but has the power to change lives in the future. Big or small, it is what these gifts achieve together that makes them so incredible.”
For more information about the free wills campaign and to download Alexander Devine’s ‘Gift in Wills guide’, visit www.alexanderdevine.org/wills or contact the fundraising team by emailing fundraising@alexanderdevine.org.