Who are we?
We are raising funds to save Watford Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Centre; an organisation run entirely by volunteers who offer non-judgemental telephone and face-to-face support to both women and men who have been raped or sexaully abused, no matter when or how it happened. With another service provider in the area soon set to close due to lack of funds, it's now more important than ever that Watford Rape Crisis can continue to carry out its work to ensure that survivors have somewhere to seek help near where they live.
Why do we need your help?
Watford Rape Crisis is a crucial support service for individuals who have experienced sexual assault and abuse, but securing funding for our work is a constant challenge. The service we offer provides a significant impact on the lives of survivors, but funding to the Rape Crisis sector is worryingly low. Whilst we will continue to work as hard and as long as we can to support those who need it, lack of funding is impacting on our ability to provide the necessary services. In September, Hertfordshire will lose a vital service provider due to lack of funds, leaving survivors with very limited options when seeking help and care. If Watford Rape Crisis Centre also closes, options to access these essential services will be few and far between. This shouldn't be the case.
We keep our costs as low as possible and we rely on our wonderful network of dedicated, trained volunteers to provide essential services; but training, phone lines and a safe, private space for face-to-face counselling costs money. We need funds to recruit volunteers, train these volunteers to offer specialist services, and keep our phone lines and office open and running as often as we can. Survivors in the local area need to know that they can turn somewhere for care and advice, and they shouldn't ever feel alone.
Support for people to rebuild their lives after rape must be a right, not a privilege determined by where you live. Please help us stay open and providing the best service possible by giving what you can and sharing with your networks. We've been doing this for over 30 years, and we don't plan on stopping anytime soon. There is far too much at stake.
Thank you.
The WRC Team
What else can you do to help? We'd love it if you could help us spread the word about our campaign.
- If you're a constituent of Watford, please help us ask for Watford MP Richard Harrington's support using our template email here.
- Spread our campaign to #SAVEWatfordRapeCrisis with your friends, family and wider network by sharing our crowdfunding campaign on Facebook and Twitter. You can find a set of suggested posts and tweets here.