Social Justice Minister Carl Sargeant has offered a good luck message to a Blaenau Gwent charity that has been shortlisted in the National Lottery Awards 2010.
Blaenau Gwent Domestic Abuse Services is the only Welsh semi-finalist in the Best Voluntary/Charity project category. If they gain enough public votes to go through to the final they could win the top award, which includes £2,000 to spend on their project.
The Minister congratulated staff and praised the invaluable support the service provides victims of domestic abuse.
“I am delighted that the excellent work of Blaenau Gwent Domestic Abuse Service has been recognised” said the Minister. “Staff help victims, including children, deal with and find ways of getting out of the dangerous situations that they find themselves in. The centre faced stiff competition to get to this far and I wish them the very best of luck in reaching the final.”
Every year one million women experience at least one incident of domestic abuse in the UK. The Welsh Assembly Government wants to end domestic abuse and recently launched the ‘Right to be Safe’ strategy and the ‘One Step Too Far’ campaign. Both the strategy and campaign aim to prevent all forms of violence against women including domestic abuse.
The Minister added
“Our homes are our refuge and every woman has the right to feel safe and secure in her home. I am determined to do everything I can to end domestic abuse and make this happen”.
The Blaenau Gwent Domestic Abuse service has received over £59,000 in Assembly Government funding each year since 2003 and in 2008 a further £215,111 was provided to purchase and renovate their new building.
