Domestic abuse and sexual violence services in Preston will benefit from a share of a £500,000 funding boost from the Ministry of Justice.

Secured by Lancashire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw, the money will help services across the county meet the additional costs they have incurred while adapting in response to coronavirus.

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PCC Clive Grunshaw said: “I am delighted to secure extra funding to support people affected by domestic or sexual abuse right here in Lancashire.

“It is so important that victims and survivor have access to specialist services where and when they need them and this funding will ensure that this is happening.

“The pandemic continues to put extra pressures on families and relationships and whilst that should never be an excuse for any kind of violence, the reality is that some people will be affected by abuse.”

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A total of 14 organisations will benefit from the funding which will be used towards additional support such as work with Independent Domestic Violence Advisers, extra counselling hours or investing in online chat facilities and telephone support to provide additional help remotely.

Debbie Fawcett, CEO at HARV and Chair of the Lancashire Domestic Abuse Forum said: “This is really welcome news both for services and for anyone affected by abuse here in Lancashire.

“As a collective, services across the county work really hard to support abuse survivors and the extra funding will help us to further adapt our services in response to the pandemic so that we can continue to help people in the best way possible.”

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Catherine Smith, CEO at Trust House, a specialist service for sexual violence survivors agreed: “It is really important that we can continue to offer the best support to victims during the pandemic.

“The current situation is hard for everyone but survivors of sexual violence and abuse need our support more than ever.

“The funding will help us to continue to offer that support so that anyone affected can access the support they need and deserve to move forward.”

The organisations who will benefit from the additional funding are Flowhesion, Fylde Coast Women’s Aid, HARV, Lancashire Victim Services, Paladin NSAS, Red Rose Recovery, Sahara in Preston, Safenet, The Birchall Trust, The Liberty Centre, The Wish Centre, The Emily Davison Centre, Trust House and Pendle Domestic Violence Initiative.

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What local services would you like to receive a boost in funding? Tell us in the comments below.