Domestic abuse helpline seeks £5,000 from crowd-funding

A crowd-funding campaign has been launched by a domestic abuse charity so it can run a manned helpline for more hours a week.

Domestic Abuse Stops Here (DASH), which supports victims of donestic abuse and their families in Windsor, Slough and Maidenhead, is hoping to raise £5,000 to enable it to run its helpline from 9am until 5.30pm, Monday to Friday.

The money would allow it to employ more staff to take calls and respond to messages.

Olivia Allaway, who is part of the communication and fundraising team at the charity, said: “We are operating at reduced hours at the moment because of cuts to funding which means our staff cannot spend as much time manning the phones.

“Often a lot of our clients are referrals from outside bodies but this helpline is about self-referral.

“Anyone who is a victim of domestic abuse can call and speak to someone.

“Anything they tell us is strictly confidential but we do take their name and contact details for safety reasons.

“It is something we say a lot but it really makes a difference when a person who is reaching out for the first time to talk about what is going on in their relationship, it is so important that they have a good experience.

“Our data shows if someone has a bad experience talking to us on the phone, they are 70 per cent less likely to contact us again.”

Usually the charity relies on fundraising events in order to make money.

However Olivia said the idea to start a campaign on chuffed.org was the organisation’s way of looking at new ways to raise money.

She said: “We are trying this as it is something we haven't done as an organisation.

“It is a different way of raising money rather than just holding events. However if we do not reach the £5,000 goal we will look to find the money elsewhere.”

So far £452 has been raised.

Visit chuffed.org/project/dash-helpline