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

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.