Help women and children live in safety

Hello all,

We want to start by again saying a huge thank you for all the amazing support you’ve given us throughout 2021. Though the world is beginning to adapt and recover, this has still been a year like no other and we appreciate all support that has been given to Leeds Women’s Aid.

To stay updated on the work of our charity, please follow us on social media:

Facebook: facebook.com/leedswomensaid

Twitter: @LeedsWomensAid

Instagram: @LeedsWomensAid

Reverse Advent Calendar

This Christmas, we are running a Reverse Advent Calendar to launch our 50^th anniversary fundraising appeal for a new children’s playground for one of our refuges. Each day throughout advent we are asking our supporters to give whatever they can, from £1 on Dec 1 up to £24 on Dec 24, to help us kick off our campaign and continue providing the very best support to women and families affected by domestic violence and abuse.

Please see our website for details of how to give. All donations will make such a huge difference to the families we support.

Leeds Women’s Aid 50^th Anniversary Fundraising Appeal - New children outdoor play area and dedicated tranquil garden space

2022 marks Leeds Women’s Aid 50^th year. To mark this amazing milestone we are launching a fundraising appeal to raise funds for a new children’s outdoor play area and dedicated tranquil garden space for our residents to rest, recover and connect with others.

Leeds Women’s Aid delivers a wide range of services for families experiencing domestic violence and abuse including emergency refuge accommodation and currently we run a number of women-only refuges along with independent safe houses for adults and children. Emmeline is our largest refuge and all of its living accommodation is separate and self-contained, but we have communal areas for the families and a large outside space. The current children’s play equipment at Emmeline is old, some of it is broken and well-worn and needs replacing to allow the families to make full use of the gardens to play and feel safe. Residents said a garden is important for them, with one resident valuing the outdoor space as "a place I can connect with my children”.

The project will involve taking out the old play equipment and replacing with new safe, modern play equipment to ensure the gardens have a safe environment. The project would allow us to offer a safe and fun outdoor space for the children to play and interact with other families in refuge which will help as part of their recovery from the effects of domestic violence and abuse. In addition, we would like to provide a dedicated tranquil space within the garden for the women which would include installing a wooden pergola, seating area and suitable bedding plants.

We would love to raise £50,000 to complete the refurbishment of Emmeline’s garden.

Please see our website for details of how to give.

Children’s and Young People’s Pages

This year, Leeds Women’s Aid launched four specialist webpages tailored to support children and young people affected by domestic violence and abuse in their families or own relationships. These pages provide vital information on recognising the signs of domestic violence and abuse, calling the police and support helplines, and understanding other children and young people’s experiences to help them find support and feel less alone.

To find out more, please visit the Leeds Women’s Aid website: https://leedswomensaid.co.uk/children/.

All donations we will make such a huge difference to the families we support.

Thank you and have a happy and peaceful Christmas.

Sincerely,

The Leeds Women’s Aid Team