Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, has voiced her support for “frightened” women affected by domestic abuse who “don’t know where to go”.
The royal said she was delighted to back The Independent’s campaign to raise money to build safe refuges for women as she pledged a donation from her charitable foundation, Sarah’s Trust.
This publication has partnered with leading domestic abuse charity Refuge to raise money to create two safe homes for domestic abuse survivors, including women, their children and any pets. Each £15 donation buys a brick to build the houses.
Be a brick, buy a brick and donate here or text BRICK to 70560 to donate £15
“I am delighted to support The Independent’s campaign to build a house from scratch that will act as a sanctuary to help people in this position – a permanent new refuge which you can play a part in building brick by brick,” she said.
“This will help dozens of victims who will be able to escape there and find a route out of the abuse. Any donation, large or small, would be hugely appreciated, and my charity Sarah’s Trust is delighted to be making a donation of £5,000.”
Saying huge numbers of women in this situation “are frightened and don’t know where to go”, the duchess added: “It’s so important that we give these people refuge.
“A place they can call theirs. A place where they can feel safe. I’m delighted to be able to start a donation from Sarah’s Trust to go brick by brick.
“We can do this together.”
More than £500,000 has flooded in so far, surpassing the initial £300,000 target thanks to generous donations from readers – including the Queen, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and chief executive of NHS England Amanda Pritchard.
With construction work on the first house now well underway, The Independent is planning to raise enough to build a second refuge.
We have heard testimony from a wide range of survivors, including a woman held hostage in her flat for a week and others simply too terrified to leave.
Thousands of women across the UK face danger in their own homes, but one woman is turned away every two hours from a refuge because of a lack of space or capacity.
With the campaign aiming to help change this, Dame Joanna Lumley appealed to the nation to “be a brick and buy a brick”.
Among the celebrities who have also supported the campaign are Dame Helen Mirren, Sir Patrick Stewart, Cherie Blair, Olivia Colman, David Morrissey and Dermot O’Leary.
The houses will be built in an undisclosed location to protect those who live there and will be near local transport links and amenities so the family can travel to and from school, go to work, and create a safer life.
Please donate now to the Brick by Brick campaign, launched by The Independent and charity Refuge, to help raise another £300,000 to build a second safe space for women where they can escape domestic abuse, rebuild their lives and make a new future. Text BRICK to 70560 to donate £15.
