MooGuRoos Little Wild Wool Shed

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Project by Sam Stuart

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£20,000 target 52 days left
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To provide survivors of domestic abuse and military veterans with an oasis of calm when the silence isn't quiet.

This is a hard read but words that need to be said

In 2009 I found myself alone, scared, vulnerable and broken hearted. My husband had tried to kill me, the culmination of, what I now know was, a sustained period of abuse and coercive control that had lasted throughout our entire relationship. As I stood with my three and one year olds in a twin buggy, my new born in a sling, little did I know that this was when I was most in danger but looking back I felt it acutely. In January of this year I also lost one of my closest friends to post separation abuse, I miss her every single day and know that things could have been so very different had she had a place to recoup, recharge and rest away from the prying eyes and constant unrelating stress caused by the man who stalked and abused her.

Between April 2022 and March 2023 there were 242 Domestic Abuse Related Deaths in the UK. 70% of adult victims of domestic homicide in England and Wales were women that shows that men are also in need of support. My beautiful friend will be one of these Domestic Abuse Related Deaths for 2023 -24.but I will not allow her to become a statistic and I made her a promise that I would do everything in my power to prevent this happening to another person. 

Military Veterans actually have a great deal in common with domestic abuse survivors. Having been where angels fear to tread, they are exposed to the very worst that humans do to each other. Terrifying combat situations that breach the brains defence mechanisms leaving them to continue living in a state where their body and mind prepared for death not expecting to return, or the moral injury and helpless lack of control that comes from dealing with the grieving and desperate civilians. 

What Veterans and domestic violence survivors have in common is that of the 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men who experience and escape a domestically abusive relationship - a relationship where they are coercively controlled by gaslighting, isolation, economic control and financial abuse - is that sense of impending threat and the need for readiness for all eventualities, especially at the point of breaking free, that leaves them open to the same stressors experienced by those who have entered the theatre of war. 

The similarities in stressors between military veterans with PTSD and those leaving domestically abusive relationships is almost identical. Here at MooGuRoos Little Wild Wool Shed we aim to acknowledge and honour these parallels by offering 2 to 4 nights stays in Eco Luxury completely free of charge to military veterans and domestic abuse survivors through the charities that support them.

The Little Wild Wool Shed is a haven, where people can come to gather their thoughts in calm and safety - both of which are often sadly forgotten and grossly underestimated. People can soak up the peace and tranquillity that nature has to offer, learn a new skill such as bushcraft or knitting, wild swim in our seas, lakes, rivers and streams, hike our hills or simply sit by the log burner or in the hut tub or under the stars in the log fired bath tub.

I have walked a mile in these peoples shoes and it is a tough; I would love your help to both honour my beautiful friend and make my dream of using my studio and to give back just a little of that love, calm and tranquillity that I so needed when I was alone.

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Rewards

This project offers rewards in return for your donation. Please select a reward below.

£30 or more

Various Beautiful Unique Hand Knitted Wool Garment

Snood style hand knitted wool scarf, made to order based on specifications of the individual. This usually is priced at £50 - £70 so a bargain.

£500 or more

2 to 4 Night Charity Client Eco Studio Stay

There are 160 nights available each year in blocks of 2 or 4 nights. Charities or support organisations dealing with military veterans with PTSD or Domestic Abuse can access several nights per year based on the percentage of the total charity contribution. If charities A and B were to each contribute A-30% and B-70% of the total charitable contribution, A would receive 48 per year and B would receive 112.

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