Women's refuge marks 50 years of life-saving help

A city's only specialist domestic abuse service says it continues to see "a huge demand" as it marks its half century.

Peterborough Women's Aid was founded by volunteers in 1975 and has housed about 1,500 women and 2,000 children over the decades.

It currently has two refuges housing 10 families, as well as supporting about 1,200 women a year in the community.

"Services like this genuinely do save lives," said chief executive Mandy Geraghty.

"Abuse remains hidden and society still doesn't recognise domestic abuse."

The charity experienced a rocky start shortly after it was set up.

The location of its refuge in Dickens Street - which had four rooms - was posted on a notice board, and so the organisation had to move in 1978.

The charity now has 18 staff and four volunteers, offering residents long-term support.

Ms Geraghty gave an example of a mother of two small children who fled after 10 years of physical, verbal, emotional, psychological and financial abuse.

She was supported by a specialised trauma therapist and individual sessions were offered to the children alongside family sessions.

After two years, the family were offered a home of their own, "full of confidence and positivity for the future".

The charity also offers two types of community-based support services, working in multiple languages including Urdu and Lithuanian.

"One is for women who are in abusive relationships and either want to leave or want support - [for example, for many] South Asian women culturally, leaving isn't an option, but they want emotional support," explained Ms Geraghty.

"And there are community groups for women who are either in or have left abusive relationships and they offer peer support, giving them a real sense of empowerment."

Last year, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Partnership said that, according to official police figures, there were 32,000 victims of domestic abuse in Cambridgeshire in 2022-23, including 7,000 in Peterborough.

"Fifty years on, it's not getting any better," said Ms Geraghty.

"Our refuges are full all the time and there is huge demand for our services - but we are here, accessible and in the community, and will continue to be here to help citizens over the next 50 years."

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