24 Hour Helpline 01473 745 111

Newsletter No.76 April 2017

Patron Mark Murphy

Sally Winston—Chief Executive

As domestic abuse continues to be an enormous problem in our

society it is so important that we are able to raise awareness of the

services we offer so that women and children can access the

support they so desperately need.

We are always looking at new and innovative ways to support

victims and our new Peer Support Group (explained in this

newsletter) is an example of how we continue to find ways of

empowering the women who come to us. The Expect Respect

Programme for young people is now being accessed by schools,

initially for the most vulnerable young people, but it is essentially a

programme that can be delivered to all children and young people

of school age.

In order for us to not only develop but also sustain our services we

are in continuous search of funding. We are therefore so

appreciative of all the fundraisers who support us. Some terrific

events have been and are being organised to raise much needed

funds and for that we are so very grateful

Our work is challenging, domestic abuse is horrible and we hear the

most devastating stories from victims who can see no way out. That

is why it is so important that specialist organisations like ours

continue to exist.

Our refuge provides safe accommodation for women and children

needing to flee their perpetrator, our IDVA service provides support

in the community to victims at the highest risk of harm, and our

Centre is a safe space for women, providing a whole range of

services from the point of crisis to the point of empowerment.

Seeing someone reach that point of freedom is our reward.

Please continue to support us.

Thank You.

Cake & Mammoth Event

Become a Member of Lighthouse and you will be helping local

women and children recover from the trauma of domestic abuse

Suggested minimum membership is £25 per year for which you

will receive:

lapel badge and car sticker to show your support

Regular Newsletter keeping you up-to-date with all that’s happening

the opportunity to influence our work by having a vote at General Meetings

the chance to become a Trustee

Lighthouse Women’s Aid is affiliated to Women’s Aid Federation England Registered Charity Number: 1069296 Registered Company Number: 3532428

Name: __________________________ Address:___________________________________________________________________________

Postcode: ____________________ Email address: ____________________________________________________for mailing list)

I wish to become a member of Lighthouse Women’s Aid: Yes No

Section A (Please complete this section if enclosing a single payment)

I enclose a cheque/postal order payable to Lighthouse Women’s Aid Ltd for £

Signature: ________________________________________ Date: ________________

Section B (Please complete this section if making a regular payment)

I’d like to make a monthly/annual donation of £

By Standing Order, please use the following details:

Bank Name: Natwest, 2-8 Tavern Street, Ipswich IP1 3BD

Account Name: Lighthouse Women’s Aid Ltd Sort Code: 53-61-24 Account Number: 66764599

To pay online through Virgin Money Giving, please log on to:

Www.virginmoneygiving.com, put Lighthouse Women’s Aid in the search box and click on ‘make a donation’

DATA PROTECTION: We would like to keep you up to date with news and fundraising activities. If you would not like to receive this information,

please tick We will not disclose your details to anyone else.

As a UK taxpayer you can use Gift Aid to make your donation go further.

Lighthouse Women's Aid can claim at least an extra 25p for every £1 donated and it won’t cost you a penny more. All you need to do is tick and sign:

Please treat all donations for the last four years, this donation and all future donations to Lighthouse Women’s Aid, as Gift Aid donations until I notify you otherwise.

I am a UK taxpayer and understand that if I pay less Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations in

that tax year it is my responsibility to pay any difference. Signature: __________________________________Date: _________________

Head Office,

Westgate House,

Museum Street,

Ipswich IP1 1HQ

Tel: 01473 220770

Emails: admin@lighthousewa.org.uk

Community Women’s Centre,

37 Berners Street,

Ipswich IP1 3LN

Tel: 01473 228270

Email: info@lighthousewas.org.uk

CONTACTS

Editor…………………………..Sally Winston

A whole new look………..

Cake and Revolution WI put

on a truly amazing event at

the Ipswich Museum to

celebrate International

Women’s Day with a Cake

and Mammoth evening. The

WI transformed the

museum into a thriving

entertainment venue for the

night . The WI group which

was formed in Ipswich six

months ago, won a

competition to take over the building for one evening to run

an event of their choosing, beating many hopeful community

groups. The event was a black-tie affair and there was an array

of wonderfully talented female performers, heaps of scrummy

cakes made by the WI members, a silent auction and guided

tours of the museum.

The events committee of Cake & Revolution was made up of

Miranda Acres, Victoria Norfolk, and Amanda Glasper who

managed to organise the night within just three weeks, which

is an outstanding achievement in itself.

Prizes donated for the silent Auction came from Arbor House,

Woolpack, Cult Café, Aqua Eight, Wolsey Theatre, déjà vu

Boutique, Coes, Jonathan Boast (resident artist at the

museum) Ipswich Regent, Spread Eagle pub and Anglia

Research Services.

The event was a huge success with over 350 guests in the

museum that evening, raising a phenomenal

£4,000 for Lighthouse.

Ways to donate

Simply click on:

Www.virginmoneygiving.com

And follow the

instructions on

screen

Thank You

Support and Fundraising:

How to Give...

If you are interested in

becoming a volunteer for

Lighthouse Women’s Aid we

would love you to get in

touch!

Please call 01473 220770

Or email

admin@lighthousewa.org.uk

‘Just Text Giving’

Simply text

LHWA35

Followed by your

donation amount to

70070

( e.g LHWA35 £5)

We truly appreciate all

clothes and toys

donated and we could not

survive as an organisation

without them. However,

where we receive too many

to cope with, they may be

sold and monies used to

support clients in the spirit

of the initial donations. 7

If you would like to receive this

newsletter on a quarterly basis

please send your email address

to

admin@lighthousewa.org.uk Princes Trust Team 21

Community Services Update:

Follow us on

Burns Night Celebration

Successful Peer Support Group

Lighthouse Community Centre

Pure Quiz Night

In a small village in Suffolk entering a quaint village hall I am transported to the highlands of

Scotland. Ferns and greenery spray the tables that are covered with bright red tartan in a hall

donned in romantic candlelight. We are seated by friendly and welcoming faces and authentic

‘hot toddies’ are handed out in abundance…

To celebrate the life and works of the very famous poet, Robert Burns we enjoy a traditional

meal of ‘Haggis and Tatties’ (Haggis with potatoes and swede to us non-scots) which is brought

in by an authentic Scot and his very authentic, very loud bagpipes for the ‘pipping in of the

haggis’ and the traditional verse for the cutting and sharing of the haggis.

The evening flowed with whiskey to toast the haggis and whiskey to follow along with

cranachan with raspberries and shortbread, tea/coffee and more whiskey if you were so

inclined! After our bellies were full we were then entertained with traditional Scottish folk

songs accompanied by guitar and fiddle and a bit more bagpipes!

I gave a little talk about the services we offer at Lighthouse and there was a great raffle full of

generously donated gifts and a VERY grand total of £660 was raised.

I would like to say a massive thank you to Ann and Tracey (my Mum!) for deciding to organise

such a successful event in order to raise money for Lighthouse. It was a very enjoyable

evening and was greatly appreciated. I have since heard that Ann and Tracey are going to

organise another event as they have set themselves the goal of raising £1000 for Lighthouse

and the theme this time is a Vintage Afternoon Tea so watch this space!!!

Rachel Burrows IDVA for Lighthouse

Farmhouse Five for Females

A total of 25 teams made up of local

businesses and Pure clients took part in a

Quiz Night organised by Pure Recruitment to

raise money for Lighthouse. The event was

held at the Novotel Hotel in Ipswich on 23rd

February, it also included a raffle , with

prizes donated by BodyCare Plus, Green King

and Bosch.

Manager of Pure Ipswich Paul Sheldrake said

“We’re delighted to have been able to raise

such a wonderful amount for this amazing

charity”.

Participants included teams from Port of

Felixstowe and Notcutts while the overall

winners were a team from Seven.

The event raised an amazing £1,710.69

Our new Peer Support Group (PSG) is now up and running. It aims to enable a group of equals, who have similar experiences, to come together and talk, share interests and discuss issues. This type of group works best when everyone participates and takes

responsibility for themselves. Every member has a role to play and can take turns in helping the group, offering their own unique talents or skills.

They’ve named the group ‘’Jigsaw’’ because they felt that Lighthouse has helped them to put some of the pieces of their lives back together, at the same time as helping them either

as individuals or as a group to be able to see ‘the bigger picture’. This gives the group a great identity and Logo.

All of the members have attended our Freedom Programme and Self –Esteem group, some have completed other courses as well. The women wanted to continue to feel connected to the Centre, build on their friendships and give something back to the service we provide as

they have experienced its value. We achieve this by working with, and being in the company of others who can empathise with the journey they are on, as survivors of

domestic abuse.

We meet once a month with one of the Project Workers starting the meeting with an update, the session then continues without the LWA staff member. We run the group together so that no one person is ‘in charge’. We agree that everything shared remains

confidential within our group (ex. safeguarding), we have respect for ourselves and every member of the group is honoured by taking time to listen to each other. We are extremely

supportive of each other and we want every member to feel relaxed and comfortable.

So far, we have started a new Meet & Greet session for the Freedom Programmes, with the support of the facilitators. It helps to reduce the anxiety and fear that new service users

feel when they first attend our programnmes. We received very positive feedback from the new learners and we have been empowered by the experience.

We are working on a Resources Folder, for women to access when attending the Centre, including a review of books, films, poems, and websites which we have found helpful as

survivors of Domestic Abuse.

Each member has received training from Suffolk MIND to use the Human Givens in8 cards to prompt discussions. It represents the innate tools or guidance system which all healthy

human beings are equipped with and which we use to get our needs met. This includes subjects such as Movement, Respect, Emotional Connection, Community etc.

We are now looking at opportunities to do some Fundraising for the Centre and hope to have something in place soon.

Peer Support activities promote self-help, enabling members to use a framework where each member feels empowered to take responsibility for themselves with support. This

group is proving to be a positive and dynamic force and a real asset to the Women’s Centre.

Life at the Centre has been busy as usual, all our current courses are now coming to an end

ready for the Easter break, they will commence again mid April/May.

Our Project workers have been visiting some local secondary schools giving Healthy

Relationship advice to students. Recent studies have concluded that 33% of girls and 16%

of boys reported some form of sexual abuse, 25% of girls and 18% of boys reported some

form of physical relationship abuse and 75% of girls and 50% of boys reported some form

of emotional relationship abuse. These figures highlight the importance of preventative

work with young people and why Lighthouse is keen to secure funding to be able to

continue this type of work.

The Centre will be running an Easter Activities afternoon on Tuesday 4th April from 2pm-

3:30pm. Come and join the Easter fun with lots of crafts and a Chocolate Egg Hunt. If you

are interested in attending please book a place to avoid disappointment on 01473 228270.

A great success, It’s the second year that the

lovely Dawn Meredith-Davies of Green Health

Events has organised this fabulous 5 mile all

terrain run and asked Lighthouse to be the

charity partner.

Just under 200 women (or running

Goddesses, as Dawn likes to call them) raced

through the countryside around Fynn Valley,

starting and finishing at Lux Farm. It was a

lovely atmosphere, the sun was shining and

lots of family were there to support the

runners on Mother’s Day morning.

Thanks to the generosity of local businesses

in donating fantastic prizes, the raffle raised

£475. Thank you to everyone who took part

and to everyone who bought

raffle tickets and made the

day such an enjoyable

one. Our thanks also go to

Emma-Louise who took our

first charity place in the race,

raising £172.50

Thank you to everyone that supports

the work we do here at Lighthouse

it makes a huge difference to the lives

of the women and children we support.

Course and Events Diary 2016

Burstall Parochial Church Council

Co-op Community Token Scheme

Rendlesham Independent Women’s Group

Co-op Women’s Guild, Kesgarve

Woodbridge Methodist Church

Pastor Favour Malefo

South Theatres, Ip

swich Hospital

Tracey Burrows

Framlingham Flower Club

Felixstowe Community Choir

Sharegift

Katherine Arnold

Witnesham Parochial Church

Mr & Mrs Kirto

n

Labour Group of Councillors

Course/Events Day Dates Times

Open Café Monday Weekly 10am to 12pm

Creative Coffee Mornings Wednesday Weekly 10am to 12pm

Advice Appointments (1hr)

(please call the office to book a slot)

Mon to Fri

Weekly

9am to 4pm

Legal Surgeries

(please call the office to book a slot)

3 times a month 2 Surgeries

2 Surgery

10am to 4pm

2pm to 4pm

Money Advice Session

(please call the office to book a slot)

Fridays (fortnightly) 9am to 3pm

Easter Party (please book a place) Tuesday 04/04/17 2pm to 3.30pm

Freedom Programmes

Tuesdays

Wednesdays

Thursdays

18/04/17 (Meet & Greet)

25/04/17 to 11/07/17

19/04/17 (Meet & Greet)

26/04/17 to 05/07/17

20/04/17 (Meet & Greet)

27/04/17 to 13/07/17

10am to 11am

10am to 11.30am

6pm to 7pm

6pm to 7.30pm

1pm to 2pm

1pm to 2.30pm

Stronger Families Tuesdays 18/04/17 (Meet & Greet)

25/04/17 to 11/07/17

4pm to 5pm

4pm to 6pm

Self Esteem - morning Fridays 12/05/17 to 07/07/17 10am to 11.30am

Self Esteem - evening Mondays 08/05/17 to 03/07/17 6pm to 7.30pm

Who’s in Charge

Who’s In Charge Follow up

Wednesdays

Wednesday

03/05/17 to 28/06/17

13/09/17

12.30pm to 2.30pm

12.30pm to 2.30pm

Healthy Relationships Thursdays 27/04/17 to 18/05/17 10am to 12pm

Escape the Trap Thursdays 11/05/17 (Meet & Greet)

18/05/17 to 13/07/17

4.30pm to 5.30pm

4.30pm to 6pm

Festival Fun Day Thursday 24/08/17 12pm to 3pm

We currently operate a waiting list for most of our Courses and hope to run them again in September

2017. All Service Users must complete a Registration Form and come in for an advice appointment.

This is to make sure we are offering the most suitable programme for you. Please call the Women’s

Centre to find out more - 01473 228270

Lighthouse Women’s Aid is affiliated to Women’s Aid Federation England

Registered Charity No: 1069296 Our registered company name is Lighthouse Women's Aid. Registered Company No: 3532428. Registered in England.

Wenhaston W

I

Cedar’s Park WI

Elmsett Crafters

Butley, Chillesford & Wantisden WI

Elmsett Village Store

Ipswich Indoor Bowling Club

Haughley WI

Joanna A

therto

n

Mrs Newlands

Yoga Attic

Suzanne Williams

St Mary Le Tower Church

Gabrielle Howard

Stutton Women’s G

roup

Ipswich Museum

Refuge Services By Gill Dean—Operations Manager

Forthcoming Events

Inspire Suffolk’s Team Programme.

Day in the life of an IDVA (Independent Domestic Violence Advisor)

No day is ever the same as an IDVA, but they tend to have a common theme of being fairly busy! My morning starts in the office with an update from the police Domestic Abuse Team, how many domestic incidents have occurred in the region over the weekend

or overnight. They let us know how many high risk cases they expect to refer to us. We make initial contact and cover immediate safety planning with all referrals within 48 hours.

My first appointment is at a GP’s surgery with a victim that has been referred to us from a health professional through MARAC (Multi-agency Risk Assessment Conference). This victim is experiencing coercive control, some violence and is completely isolated. We

discuss safety planning to increase her safety within the home as she is not ready to end the relationship. A follow up appointment is arranged to add support to reduce her isolation by linking in with the local children’s centre and Freedom Programme.

My next appointment is a joint visit with a Domestic Abuse Officer, we deliver a Clare’s Law Disclosure to a victim regarding their partner’s previous domestic and violent history as recorded by police. We link in with their session at the local drug and alcohol

service as so far the victim has declined to engage, and safe contact is difficult as their partner is almost always present. We cover safety planning and agree to meet again at their next support session. She has agreed to consider accessing refuge accommodation, although given the limited availability of refuge space for those with drug addiction, this is going to be a complex and ongoing case

for the IDVA service.

Finally a home visit to a client who was re-referred to the service by police, after their extremely high risk relationship with an ex-partner has re-kindled. A home visit was safe as the perpetrator was in police custody. Previously she had moved to a place of safety, however after harassment and pressure from the perpetrator, she resumed the relationship as he threatened to kill her

should she not re-kindle. Violence within the relationship quickly began again and resulted in serious life-long injuries which have been reported to the police by a friend. I worked with the police and housing to increase her security at home and to install a panic

alarm. We will continue to work with this client to provide independent support around safety, and to assist her in making a decision about whether to support police action and finally cut contact with the perpetrator.

Last stop is at the office to write up the case notes for the day, updating police and other agencies. Safe to say the IDVA role is a challenging but very rewarding one. Victim’s may not always be ready to engage or make safe decisions, in which case we can

signpost them to appropriate services, but when they are ready, it’s a pleasure to see victim’s moving on from traumatic circumstances and their risk reducing wherever possible.

The beginning of 2017 has been extremely busy with a high demand for accommodation and support. There have also been a

number of women moving into their new homes with Resettlement support in place whilst they get settled and back on their feet.

A particular young woman and her children, were absolutely delighted with the response from members of Rotary and Inner Wheel

in Ipswich when we asked if they could paint the newly plastered but rather shabby looking interior of her newly allocated house. I

sent the request to one Rotarian who has helped in the past and they then cascaded the request to others in their group and other

Rotary Groups in the area.

The woman was up against making her house into a home as, apart from having a toddler, she also has an enduring back problem.

We had seen her manage very well in Refuge and were encouraged to seek all the support we could to help her. The transformation

was incredible, in next to no time a large team of Rotarians and Inner Wheelers and their partners were buzzing! They painted, fixed

shelves , laid flooring, put up curtain rails and donated curtains, a welsh dresser, television, dining table, soft furnishings as well as

many more items, some given from their own homes.! It was incredible! These generous and fabulous folk were intent on creating

an attractive home for this young woman and her children as they moved on from Refuge.

We could not manage without the kindness and generosity of people living in the community and whilst I will use this column to

again thank this team of people I would also like to tell all the readers the difference that is made by every act of care and kindness

that is extended to support Lighthouse as we work beside women trying to rebuild their lives, families and homes after the

devastation of abuse. We don’t have enough storage space to accept donations of furniture but we are glad to be contacted to see

if we can take items with the hope that we can try to coordinate the donation with the need of women using our services. Ring Deb

on 01473 220770. We are always grateful to receive vouchers for Argos and supermarkets that we can use to buy household items

for women and we are then not struggling with storage or removals.

Thank you to all of you who donate in so many thoughtful ways.

A group of young people who are taking part in Inspire Suffolk’s Team

programme in partnership with Prince’s Trust have supported Lighthouse

Women’s Aid on Museum Street, Ipswich.

12 young people and Team Leaders from Inspire Suffolk have been clearing and

renovating the charities headquarters in Ipswich as part of the Community

Project stage of their Team programme.

Team programme is a 12-week programme run by Inspire Suffolk across Suffolk

in partnership with the Prince’s Trust. The course provides 16-25 year olds with

a variety of challenging activities to promote personal development, equipping

the team and young people for the next stage of their lives and positive

progression into employment, training or education.

Over a period of two weeks, the Team put their efforts into clearing a large open plan conference and training area, kitchen and

reception. The space was cleared and a number of items were recycled, they then prepared and painted the entire area and glossed

the doors, finishing off by cleaning the floors, windows and kitchen area and sprucing up the notice boards in lilac fabric.

In order to raise money to buy materials for the project, the young people organised a range of fundraising activities including a car

wash at Inspire Suffolk, a sale of intercepted food provided by the Teapot Project and a sponsored leg wax at Suffolk New College.

A big thank you to NPK Homes Ltd who assisted with the clearing of rubbish and the recycled items, Ridgeons in Martlesham who

very kindly donated paint, brushes and rollers to the project.

The room will be hired for meetings, training courses and if required, for video link

evidence for court cases, and will bring in extra funds for the Lighthouse Women’s Aid

and make it more sustainable in the longer term.

Inspire Suffolk would like to thank the staff at Lighthouse Women’s Aid for

accommodating us and everyone else who donated either their time, money and

materials. This enabled us to carry out and complete the project, which will benefit the

charity and the women that it supports.

Find out more about how Inspire Suffolk’s Team programme supports young people

across the county here: https://inspiresuffolk.org.uk/education/princes-trust-team-

programme/

Events 2017 When

Cake Sale 8th April 10-12noon St Andrew’s Church

Cauldwell Hall Road,

Ipswich

Cake Sale 21st April

9am after Mass

St Mary’s Church, Ipswich

Wine Tasting Evening

Tickets £22, including

wine for tasting and a

Paella Supper

11th May 7:30-

10:30pm

For tickets and more

information go to

EventBrite-Taste of Spain

Phoenix Jazz Charity Night

Tickets are Free

Raffle on the night

23rd June 7-10pm

For tickets and more

information go to

EventBrite-Charity Night

with Phoenix Jazz

We currently have 9 talks organised for local

organisations and community groups in the coming

months

Talks are a great opportunity for us to share the

work we do and broaden understanding of the plight

of women and children who are victims of domestic

abuse.

If you are interested in organising a talk for your

group or organisation please contact Deb at

admin@lighthousewa.org.uk or give her a call on

01473 220770. We don’t make a charge for talks but

ask that you consider making a donation or holding a

fundraiser for Lighthouse.

If you are organising an event for Lighthouse please

contact Deb and we can add this to our events

calendar on our website. www.lighthousewa.org.uk