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

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