Survive

Survive say:

Survive was delighted to receive a grant from The Purey Cust Trust in February 2021. Survive offers specialist support to adult survivors of sexual violence in York and across North Yorkshire. Last year, we helped 544 survivors rebuild their lives, relationships and reach their potential. It was our busiest year ever in our 30-year history – despite the pandemic.

Sadly, the impact of sexual violence can be long-term and lifelong. Many survivors accessing our services have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Funding from The Purey Cust Trust was used to train a Survive counsellor in Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) – a Nice-approved technique for PTSD. In delivering EMDR, Survive will help more survivors with PTSD experience reduced trauma such as less flashbacks and nightmares.

The grant also contributed to essential training and running costs for our new freephone Helpline which launched one day a week in March 2021 and is now operating every Monday and Tuesday from 4pm to 8pm. Sexual violence can indirectly affect the friends, relatives, partners and parents of those who have been sexual abused. The freephone Helpline thus supports those affected indirectly as well as offering a safe space for survivors of sexual violence to talk to someone confidentially about what has happened to them.

We also used some of the grant to produce new publicity which included our new mission, vision and values as well as details about our new freephone Helpline.

Funding from The Purey Cust Trust enabled Survive to expand its specialist services for survivors in an extraordinary year. Thank you.

Mags Godderidge
CEO | Survive