Lincolnshire Freemasons help local refuges

Domestic abuse victims 
escaping violence often 
arrive in refuges with nothing more than the clothes on their backs – so Lincolnshire Freemasons have given £5,000 to help them on a journey to a new and abuse-free life.
By The Newsroom
Published 23rd Sep 2020, 10:20 BST
EDAN fundraiser Lucy with one of the packs or pamper hampers funded by Lincolnshire Freemasons for domestic abuse victims. EMN-200921-133449001EDAN fundraiser Lucy with one of the packs or pamper hampers funded by Lincolnshire Freemasons for domestic abuse victims. EMN-200921-133449001
EDAN fundraiser Lucy with one of the packs or pamper hampers funded by Lincolnshire Freemasons for domestic abuse victims. EMN-200921-133449001

The money is being given to county charity EDAN (Ending Domestic Abuse Now Lincolnshire) and will be used to make about 100 packs of essentials for victims and their children going to any of the 21 refuges it operates county-wide.

Lucy, a fundraising co-ordinator at EDAN Lincs, said: “This money will provide useful resources to people who access our service after fleeing domestic abuse by means of packages tailored to individual needs as they arrive in refuge.

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“The packages will be to the value of about £50, and could include bedding, toiletries, toys and games for children, and other essential items – whatever is appropriate to the family.”

The donation came from the Covid-19 fund set up by the Freemasons charity the MCF, and was part of a total of £30,000 shared between six East Midlands Provinces specifically to support refuges helping victims of domestic abuse to turn their lives around.

Provincial Grand Master for Lincolnshire Dave Wheeler said: “Domestic abuse is a particularly insidious crime. It can be happening under our noses, but is not always immediately obvious.

“Escaping it requires a great deal of bravery, and we felt it only right that we should do what little we could to support those who have found the courage necessary to escape and build new, abuse-free lives.”

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For more about EDAN, visit edanlincs.org.uk and for more about the Freemasons, visit lincolnshirefreemasons.org

What can you do to help?

If you suspect abuse:

• Be a listening ear. Never turn your back on the individual you feel may be subject to abuse, because isolation is often a tool of the abuser. Keep ringing for a chat, or inviting them to visit – even if they always turn you down. 

• Get help in silence. Show potential victims how to ask for help in an emergency – without speaking. If they are unable to talk on the phone, tell them to dial 999 and then 55 when prompted by the operator. The operator will understand, and can get help.

• Discover how EDAN Lincs can help. Look on the internet at edanlincs.org.uk .The website has an ‘escape’ button, so the browser window will skip back to the Google home page in an instant.

• Call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline at any time. Help is available 24 hours a day. Call 0808 2000 247 or visit www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk

Related topics:FreemasonsLincolnshire