Summer Escape Appeal

Women bravely choose to escape their abusive partners, in spite of the danger, fear and unknowns of a new life. In July alone we expect over 18,000 people to reach out to us for help. We can’t show you their faces or tell you their names. But you can help women – and their children – escape to safety this summer.

Donate now

Right now, a woman somewhere in the UK is about to escape her abusive partner. She’s played through the scenario a thousand times: it is now or never. She has decided that never again will she see fear in her children’s eyes. No longer will she be this shell of herself, someone she doesn’t recognise anymore. And as she knows he intensifies his control in summer, it must be now. She’s risking her life, and if he finds her he might kill her. But she summons her courage, because escaping safely could also bring freedom.

That’s why she needs Refuge – and she needs you.


The power of your donation

Your money will help fund our life-saving services so we can listen, believe, understand, plan, organise and use all our expertise to help her and any children get to safety. And you’ll help thousands more women this summer too.

In July alone, we expect over 18,000 people will turn to us for help. Yet still, every five days one woman will be killed by an abusive partner or ex. We must stand together for all women. So when they’re ready, we can help each woman get to safety – and their children too – and they can start to take back their freedom.

Escaping safely all starts with a woman’s courage. And you.

Please give whatever you can today to help a courageous woman escape

It's unsustainable to be living like that for a long period of time, to have so much of your life dictated by somebody else. Where is it safe for me to be in the summer? How do I hide when I’m too hot, when it’s making me physically uncomfortable to wear so much clothing or to hide myself away?

Amara

 

Her journey to safety

Women often can’t just leave when they are in abusive relationships because this is often the most dangerous moment for them. Escaping safely requires a lot of courage but also a lot of planning, resources, and ultimately help.

With your support, we can be by her side all along the way.

This summer, she will decide she can no longer endure all of this – and she will reach out to us for help. With your donation, we can be there for her. We will take her first call, we will listen to her, we will believe her. We will help her carefully plan her escape. We will welcome her and her children to a refuge, where finally she could breathe again.

With your help, we could do everything so that one day she could say she’s safe now.

Donate today to help her escape

How your donation could help

Your £5 a month could help keep our Helpline running throughout the year so whenever a woman calls us fearing for her life, we can be there to support her.

Your £10 a month could pay for taxis booked directly by us, so when a woman escapes, she can’t be traced.

Your £15 a month could help keep our 44 refuges running all year round for women and their children to rebuild their lives in safety.


Your £15 could pay for a burner phone and sim card for a woman whose phone has been compromised to ensure the Refuge team can communicate safely with her.

Your £25 could pay for a woman to have a one-to-one meeting with a Refuge key worker in a nearby safe house to start the process of meticulously planning her escape.

Your £52 could provide a safe night’s sleep for a woman and her children in one of our 44 refuges.

Donate now

The first night my ex wasn’t in the house - I cannot explain the relief I felt, it still makes me smile. No rules, no rules, no rules! At 8pm me and the children had a karaoke party in the bathroom, the music was loud, we had glowsticks in the bath, we danced and splashed and sang, and for the first time in a long, long time I felt happy and I felt real hope. I was safe, my children were safe. It was going to be ok.

Grace

Together we can help a woman escape this summer

We help her plan A Refuge key worker will meet her at a nearby safe house to start planning her escape, regularly checking in with her.

We help her run We’ll run final safety checks before she and her children escape safely – in a taxi booked by us so it can’t be traced.

We offer her safety We’ll welcome her and her children to one of our 44 refuges across the UK where they can recover.