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.

With September fast approaching we wanted to talk a little bit about the Freedom Programme that we will be running. The freedom programme is a 12 week rolling programme which teaches women about perpetrator behaviour, how to recognise it, acknowledging the tricks and traits of these perpetrators and how to free ourselves from experiencing this behaviour again.

This programme is not solely for women who have experienced domestic abuse, it can be very educational to any woman.

Through examination of the roles, stereotypes, myths and beliefs of both Men and Women we can educate ourselves in the minefield of Domestic Abuse. We will aim to help women make sense of what has happened and the question of “why didn’t I just leave”.

The truth is no-one can just leave and that is why the Freedom Programme exists.

Please come and join us in September by emailing info@safespots.org.uk or call 07873889637

https://www.freedomprogramme.co.uk/

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

In late November this year, Yves Saint Laurent launched a new campaign that had nothing to do with beauty. This campaign is called ABUSE IS NOT LOVE. The beauty label has chosen to shine a spotlight on domestic abuse and we have found the campaign and its imagery very powerful.

ABUSE IS NOT LOVE draws attention to the fact that an overwhelming one in three women experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime, and its rates increased by 30 to 60 percent during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The campaign highlights 9 key warning signs of an abusive relationship and outlines that abuse can come in many forms; physical, sexual, financial or psychological. The key message of the campaign focuses on psychological as many people in abusive relationships often don’t realise they are victims of psychological abuse and coercive control

We found the imagery of this campaign really shows how psychological abuse chips away at everything a person is, until they feel they have nothing left. At Safespots we see women every day who are left feeling empty and worthless because they have been slowly ground down by a partner. Unlike physical abuse there are often no physical scars but the mental scars remain and can often take a long time to recover from.

We are pleased to see a top name brand like Yves Saint Laurent shining a light on this issue.

We are really pleased to announce that in November 2020, Cardinal Maritime became our first Platinum Sponsor by donating £1500 to the organisation. This fantastic local business asked colleagues to nominate a charity that meant something to them and Wythenshawe Safespots were one of the chosen beneficiaries.

Since the first Covid-19 lockdown in March, the organisation has supported 1249 women. Our support has included the delivery of emergency food supplies, emergency transport to refuge, practical assistance for women moving into new accommodation, emotional support and guidance, virtual sessions and signposting to other services, such as Legal Aid. The additional demand on our services required us to work differently, whilst continuing to support fully.

It is important that domestic abuse is talked about across all levels of society, as it can and does affect anybody and we are really pleased to see such a big local company recognising this and supporting us to continue our work in tackling the issue.

Pat Hawkins, Chair of the Wythenshawe Safespots Board said:

“It is fantastic to see a local company supporting a charity dealing with complex issues within their community. Covid-19 has increased demand on our organisation, with more women needing support around domestic abuse as a result of lockdown and the subsequent restrictions. This donation from Cardinal Maritime will go directly to helping those women in our community who need support. We want to say a big thank you for this donation and we look forward to working with Cardinal Maritime in the future.”

Wythenshawe Safespots continues to operate a telephone support service Monday to Friday 10 – 5pm so, if you or somebody you know needs support, please get in touch on 07873889637 or email us at info@safespots.org.uk

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.

Wythenshawe Safespots have some very exciting news!

After a year long application process we are excited to announce that the National Lottery Community Fund have awarded us five years core funding.

Our main costs, of staffing our fantastic team who support women day in day out, and keeping our drop in centre open so we are in the heart of the community when women need us, will now be covered by the National Lottery until 2024. This means all fundraising efforts and donations can be focused on providing extra services and support to women.

This will make a huge difference to local women and will ensure that this vital service will continue for at least five years.

We would like to send our heartfelt thanks on behalf of local women, our hardworking staff and trustees to everyone who plays the National Lottery for helping us to help keep women safe.

You can find out more at www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk 

Join us for an evening of Northern Soul and Motown. With an optional 70s fancy dress contest for just £2 extra on the night, boogie the night away in retro style!

With a raffle and chances to win big prizes throughout the evening, help us raise funds to help this vital charity to support local women. Event tickets are £10 each and all proceeds go to Wythenshawe Safespots.

Buy Tickets Here

Wythenshawe Safespots are excited to present a night of live music from Manchester’s very own Pete Eavers on Friday 10th May 2019, 7pm at Northenden Social Club.

Pete Eavers is a singer/songwriter who has been playing in bands and as a solo artist around Manchester for more years than he would like to would admit to. For this special night, Pete’s put together an eclectic mix of classic hits from the likes of Oasis, The Drifters, Don Maclean, James, The Kinks and many more. We challenge you not to be singing along and maybe even strutting your stuff within moments…

Once we have you singing along, stay with us and show you have what it takes on the Karaoke and dance into the night!

Tickets are just £10 and the price includes entry and snacks. We will have a raffle on the night, raising funds to support survivors of domestic abuse and gender based violence from Wythenshawe and the surrounding area.

If you aren’t able to come along but would still like to donate to help Safespots with our ongoing work please visit our Just Giving Page

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