“As a victim of abuse, I lived in dread of never knowing when the next attack would come. Very often experiencing conflicting emotions such as fear, anger, shame, resentment, sadness and powerlessness.

As many victims before me, I became increasingly isolated from my friends and family and became increasingly dependent on the abuser. For such a long time I believed I was weak and submissive. However, with support I realised that I was quite the opposite. It takes a huge amount of strength to live with an abusive partner and even more strength coupled with immeasurable courage to leave. With this support, I managed to escape my abuser and have learned to rebuild my life”.

“I used your services myself in 2019, I left an awful relationship and through therapy was referred to yourselves and the Freedom programme. The help I received changed my life. I now have a home of my own, I started working in care and went back to college. In September I start at University as a student social worker. I want to thank you all for sparking this change and giving me confidence and strength when I needed it.”

"I just wanted to thank you again for helping me with everything. I’m still a bit edgy as expected and coming to terms with things but you supporting me has had a big positive impact on me. I think if I’m honest you and the charity you work for have saved my life and I’ll be forever grateful."

"I would like to make sure that it is noted that A who supported me was amazing, she made me feel like I was worth saving and I'll never forget it. She was a gift." September 2022