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In 2014 I had to contact Woman’s Aid who got me in contact with MK Act, a charity that helps women who have encountered abuse. Yet again I had encountered abuse from my boyfriend. He had done it before to someone else. Now I am not daft, but somehow managed to pick yet another man who was an abuser. I was embarrassed and felt defeated but needed help.
My home I had only just moved into with my boyfriend was no longer a save place for neither me nor my 14 year old son. MK Act is one of a handful of refuges in England that take in boys who are older than 14. I remember feeling so hopeless and anxious, thinking that I was never going to get out or feel normal again. I was one of the lucky ones who got a place with MK Act refuge.
We stayed at the refuge for 15 months. During that time I broke down many times. But the brilliant staff, who never turned me away, even when I was at my lowest and not myself, providing me with counselling to deal with the aftermath of the abuse, they picked me up, rebuilt my strength and helped me put myself back together. They run the freedom program back to back, for every single woman that stays there, so everyone will learn the red flags of an abuser and how to manage life again. They are there 24/7 on call when needed.
According to woman’s Aid, there will be 92 women and 75 children turned away because there are not enough bed spaces at a refuge. I was one of the lucky ones and so was my teenage son. It changed my life and my son’s life, for good, for the better.
I want to highlight how important MK Act is, and what an amazing job they do. So, I am running Oxford Half on the 9th of October 2016. Hoping to raise money for the refuge so they can continue their amazing work. Thank you for taking time to read my story.
