Welcome to Safespots. We are honoured to have you all back for our sessions starting up again in September, as we embark on this journey of understanding, support, and healing. Our sessions include Coffee mornings, The Freedom Programme and The Freedom Forever Programme. Our sessions are designed to provide a safe space where every voice is heard, every story matters, and every step toward recovery is celebrated. Together, we will explore ways to recognize, address, and overcome abuse, empowering each other with knowledge and compassion. Thank you for joining us in creating a community where support is unwavering, and no one walks alone. We are here for you, today and always.

A journey through Safespots

We have various individual and group rooms to accommodate all our ladies’ varying needs. 

Butterfly Room

Comforting Chloe’s Room

Our Wellbeing Room

With our ever-expanding Tree of Life!

Can you believe we’ve been here 8 whole years now? Us either! Weve grown and learnt so much, and so have all our amazing ladies! We celebrated with cake, balloons and lots of gratitude for all the support and help we’ve been able to offer all of our ladies with over these 8 years. 

Weve had some big changes over the last 3 years since our last birthday update, which includes expanding our team, our new partnership with WoW (Women of Wythenshawe), Chiesi LTD and even working closely with GMP South Manchester.

We want to take this opportunity to thank all of our volunteers, funders, trustees and community partners. The past 8 years has been an amazing journey and we look forward to continuing our work in the years to come.

Back in 2016 Wythenshawe Safespots, alongside Tom Watson MP and Mike Kane MP, kick started the Scrap the Fee Campaign. Women up and down the country who had been victims of abuse were being charged by their GP for a letter as proof of this in order for them to access legal aid so that they could be supported and represented in the court process.

Safespots raised this issue with Mike and Tom and were supported to launch a national campaign to Scrap The Fee. This campaign received the support of thousands via an online petition. The government acknowledged the campaign and made changes so that victims could get the letter from more sources including domestic abuse organisations and housing providers.

Safespots believed this still wasn’t enough. They continued to campaign. Earlier this year as part of the domestic abuse bill, Scrap The Fee was considered. The campaign received support through Parliament and is now set to be legislated for as part of the Domestic Abuse Bill. This means that no GP across England or Wales will be able to charge women for that letter.

Mike Kane MP says:

“I would like to congratulate the women of Safespots for their commitment to this campaign and for their commitment to the safety of women in Wythenshawe and Sale East. Victims of abuse should never be charged for a piece of paper to prove they have been affected by this terrible scourge upon women. I hope the removal of this barrier will make it easier for women to access to legal representation and justice. I am incredibly proud to have this survivor led service based in my constituency”

Sarah Judge from Safespots says:

“I am delighted that this has now been brought into law. No woman should ever be faced with the decision of whether to feed their family or keep their family safe. I want to say a big thank you to Lord Kennedy for championing this cause. It is amazing that a small grass roots organisation from Wythenshawe has stepped up and changed the law.”

Wythenshawe Safespots was established in 2015. It is a community led domestic abuse service based in Wythenshawe Town Centre offering holistic support, advice and guidance to women who have experienced abuse.

If you or somebody you know needs help you can get in touch on 07873889637 or email info@safespots.org.uk. Phone lines are open Monday to Friday 9.30 – 4.30.

New exercise sessions called ‘Shake the Dust’ are being delivered in the centre and feedback from attendees has been amazing.

‘Shake the Dust’ focuses on activating the nervous system through the physical body, for mental health and well-being. It is a transformative, embodied, workout of the body/heart/mind that is rooted in a trauma informed approach to exercise.

 ‘Shake the Dust’ involves shaking, jumping, dancing, intuitive movement and body weight training, not to mention a brilliant playlist!

Sessions are designed for anyone and will at best deliver a cathartic release, a great workout, SWEAT and a strong, resilient body.

Building a resilient body provides a platform for transferrable skills, as it leads to the raising of self-esteem and confidence.

Quotes from attendees after their first session:

‘I feel 16 again’
‘What an amazing experience’ 

 ‘I feel free to express myself’ 

‘What a great workout’

‘I feel emancipated ‘

‘A fantastic way to start the week’

June 2021

During the Covid crisis, Safespots participants have been accessing Yoga and Meditation to support their well-being and emotional health. For many women, the sessions have been a lifeline, enabling them to focus on themselves.

There is a growing body of research from various sources, to back up Yoga and Meditation benefits for well-being.

Yoga increases body awareness, relieves stress, reduces muscle tension, strain and inflammation, sharpens attention and concentration and calms and centers the nervous system.

Meditation is a very precise technique which allows the mind to rest and for the people to achieve a state of consciousness, totally different from the usual state of awareness.

Yoga and Meditation have far-reaching effects enabling people to reach all levels of self-promoting awareness, peace, relaxation and healing. When you practice Yoga and Meditation, you seek the stillness and purity that a silent mind affords.  Both Yoga and Meditation allow a way of shutting out errant thoughts and the muddled mind associated with everyday stressful living.

Yoga and Meditation have a long, illustrious history and perhaps it has never been needed as much as now in the complexities of Covid-19. With all the modern-day stresses and strains, these practices are a successful form of stress reduction, which promotes health and well-being. Yoga and Meditation have evolved over thousands of years into the structured practice of modern times.

It has been wonderful to see women at Safespots actively access a space of inner calm and peace from these sessions, delving into their ‘inner world’ and finding a sense of clarity. They have all experienced trauma and it is great to see them begin to use Yoga and Meditation to help them to work through difficult times.

I look forward to continuing to work alongside the Safespots Team.

Quotes from session attendees:

‘It’s about finding a balance as negative energy takes us off balance’

‘We are worth the investment’
‘Happy mom – happy child’

‘Thank you for this opportunity – Safespots is a lifeline’

April 2021

February 1^st 2021 marked 5 years since Safespots opened its doors for the very first time. Nobody could have predicted 5 years ago the amazing journey the organisation has gone on since then. We have gone from a community campaign to a registered charity that has supported thousands of women and families within this time. We always said when we set out that the hard work would be worth it if we managed to help just one woman.

Nobody imagined years ago we could say with absolute certainty that we would help women to start new lives, change lives and saved lives. The road has often been bumpy! We have on more than one occasion questioned if Safespots would continue or not but, the organisation has survived these challenges and the passion and commitment of those involved has always ensured Safespots lived to see another day.

There have been so many highlights over the last five years, including:

• Opening doors to the centre
• Going to Parliament to meet with government ministers about ‘Scrap the Fee’
• Multiple fun-filled fundraising events
• Working with brilliant community partners
• Gaining charitable status
• Securing 5 years of core funding
• The ultimate highlight is seeing so many women move onto happier and safer lives

The work done by Safespots has helped women see their own power, believe in themselves and work towards their potential.

Safespots has continued to operate during the pandemic where the service has been a lifeline to so many women suffering from and fleeing abuse. We hope the next year sees a return to a more normal way of life as we have many plans for the future including expanding our team, delivering a wider range of sessions and working towards increasing the offer of our specialist service.

We want to take this opportunity to thank all of our volunteers, funders and community partners. The past 5 years has been an amazing journey and we look forward to continuing our work in the years to come.

If you or somebody you know needs help and support or you want to get involved, please get in touch by calling 07873889637. Our phone lines are open Monday to Friday 10 – 5 or alternatively, email info@safespots.org.uk

2020 has been an incredibly challenging year for both our service users and also our team. 

We have seen a huge rise in cases coming to us during lockdown so are incredibly proud of the work done by our team and what has been achieved for the women during these unprecedented times. 

Christmas is a really difficult time financially for many women and families across our community and with your help this year we will be delivering Christmas parcels to make the festive period a little brighter. 

For many though, Christmas is also a time of fear and danger. We have heard many times during the pandemic: “STAY HOME, STAY SAFE” but home is not always safe and this is no different during the festive period. 

Safespots will continue to operate the phone line up until 5.00pm on 23rd December 2020 The service will reopen on 4th January 2021 at 10.00am 

Please get in touch if you need advice and support on 07873889637 or email info@safespots.org.uk 

If you or somebody you know needs help during the Christmas period, you can contact the

National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 200 0247

This service operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you or somebody you know are in immediate danger, then please call 999 

Safespots would like to wish all of our service users, partners and colleagues a safe and peaceful festive season and we look forward to seeing you again in the New Year

Covid-19 has been the biggest public health crisis of our lifetime, with its effect likely to continue well into the future. It has forced us all to think differently, live differently and work differently.

The Safespots centre has unfortunately remained closed in order to protect both women coming into the centre and the Safespots Team. As lockdown measures begin to ease, we are looking at how and when we can safely open our doors and welcome women back into the centre.

Though the doors have been closed, we have adapted as a service to ensure women are still able to access support. We have seen a huge increase in the number of calls to the Safespots phone line. These calls have varied in terms of what is required but, we have always strived to do the right thing and at times, this has really pushed the team to work differently and think outside the box. We have in the past 3 months offered our service differently and have helped in a variety of ways from support over the telephone, socially distanced meet ups, moving people to safety, moving furniture, providing food and toiletries, to building a child’s swing and even rushing a family pet to an emergency vet!

Each circumstance is different and therefore each response and intervention has to be different too. We are really proud of the difference we have been able to make during this incredibly difficult time and in the words of one lady, ‘I can’t thank Safespots enough, you have been the rainbow during this storm’.

Our volunteers and supporters have worked incredibly hard during this period, in often really challenging circumstances and for that, we sincerely thank you.

Covid-19 and lockdown measures have resulted in most households staying home but, we have to remember that home isn’t always safe. Covid-19 has presented further barriers to women accessing support around domestic abuse but, to anybody currently suffering at the hands of an abusive partner, know that you are not alone.

Please get in touch on 07873889637 or info@safespots.org.uk and speak to one of the team. Our phone and email are monitored Monday to Friday 10 – 5.

If you are in immediate danger please call 999

April has been an unusual month for Safespots, as I am sure it has been for everybody else. We have seen huge increases in the number of people making contact with us, a much greater variety in the types of calls we are getting and a spike in people suffering greatly as a result of the Governments Covid-19 lockdown measures.

We have seen the closure of our doors for the longest time since opening the Safespots centre 4 years ago but, we still remain 100% committed to supporting women and families in our community. In April, we supported over 180 women and families and delivered 24 supplies of food and toiletries to homes across south Manchester.

We have seen nationally a huge rise in calls to domestic abuse services and Safespots is no different. Calls to our service have increased by 162% during lockdown. The nature of the calls has been slightly different to what you may expect. We have more people contacting the service asking for help around ex partners harassing them, difficulties around child contact and probably the most prominent, people struggling with their mental health during this difficult time. We are not seeing an increase in people stuck in the house with an abusive partner wanting to get out. We know this is happening, we know this need is there but, the lockdown makes it very difficult for women to reach out to services when they are stuck in the same place as their abuser.

At Safespots, we anticipate this increase in calls will continue, we also anticipate that post lockdown we will see numbers continue to increase as women are able to get out and access services slightly more easily.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who has donated to Safespots so far, this has enabled us to support families who have been struggling with practical things such as food or things for their kids to do during lockdown. These funds have made a real difference to a large number of families. We would also like to thank our partners across Wythenshawe who continue to remain committed to helping our community through this difficult time.

We want women to know we are still here, if you need help and support please contact us on 07873889637 or alternatively, you can email info@safespots.org.uk.