Some comfort for domestic abuse victims
Havant charity one of 10 to benefit from Comfort and Joy campaign
A YEAR of resilience for a domestic abuse charity will be rewarded this Christmas as clients will share in hundreds of gift vouchers.
With refuges supporting people throughout the pandemic, and services delivered virtually, Stop Domestic Abuse based in Havant has adapted to ensure those who need support have not been alone.
This year of hard work will culminate in a treat as the charity is set to benefit from the Comfort and Joy campaign backed by The News, which will see gift vouchers handed out to 10 local charities.
Claire Lambon, chief executive of the charity, said: ‘I can’t underestimate what a difference this makes and has made. The vouchers have made such a significant difference.
‘If you're a victim of domestic abuse, you are living in fear and you have been conditioned to think nobody cares. To receive these vouchers makes such a difference.
‘Not only is it saying somebody cares but also that you don’t deserve the abuse you have had.’
In the first seven days of the second lockdown in November, Stop Domestic Abuse had a 27 per cent increase in referrals and five times as many referrals for refuge than the same period last year.
Claire said: ‘We have to remember that Christmas is a really difficult time for people who are isolated from friends and family or are trying to live under the radar.
‘We have to pay tribute to the immense sacrifice and effort that our colleagues working in refuges have performed under difficult circumstances.
‘Obviously over lockdown we had to come up with new ways of delivering services.’
The Comfort and Joy voucher scheme gives the gift of choice as recipients can buy whatever they need, and this runs alongside a wider campaign to spread kindness to neighbours spending Christmas alone. Claire added: ‘Comfort and Joy and the work that St Mary’s Church has done over the years has been phenomenal because it raises awareness of all of these marginalised services and keeps us talking about it.’
If you are affected by domestic abuse, contact Stop Domestic Abuse on (023) 9206 5494.
To get involved with the voucher scheme, simply buy a Christmas card and write a message, without including your name and address, and purchase a gift voucher of £5 to put inside the card.
Do not seal the envelope, and place the Christmas card into one of the festive postboxes in the area which can be found at Tesco stores in Havant, Fratton, Gosport and Portsmouth’s Crasswell Street.
Alternatively, send a gift card, cash or cheque payable to St Mary’s Church in the post to St Mary’s Vicarage, Fratton Road, Portsmouth, PO1 5PA or you can also hand it in at St Mary’s Church any morning between 9am and midday.