A WOMEN’S refuge serving the whole of Devon has launched an appeal to provide safety for women and children fleeing violent homes this Christmas.

A sharp increase in abuse as a result of the current financial crisis has prompted North Devon Against Domestic Abuse (NDADA), which runs the refuge in North Devon, to launch a Christmas appeal.

The appeal aims to provide safety for women and children escaping violent homes by housing them at NDADA’s Devon refuge, as well as to provide happy experiences to help families move forward from abuse. The refuge has helped six desperate families from West Devon alone in the past year.

‘It’s unsurprising that the pressures of the cost-of-living crisis have compounded the effects of domestic abuse across households in Devon,’ said NDADA CEO Sue Wallis. ‘Many survivors of abuse are financially dependent on their abuser, making it much harder to break free from that cycle of control.’

The appeal will pay for women and children trapped in abusive homes to find safety in its refuge. You can donate online on the JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/ndada-christmas-appeal-2022

Sue said: ‘Our children at the refuge tell us the best gift they could receive this Christmas is quality time with their mum and siblings, happy memories and respite from difficult and often distressing circumstances.

‘With this in mind, we are asking for the local community to give what they can to buy an experience that will provide fun, adventure, healing, escape and strength to women and children who are surviving abuse.’

Find out more at www.ndada.co.uk or see Facebook @northdevonagainstdomesticabuse or Twitter@FriendsOfNDADA