Our Story

1997

Our charity is celebrating 26 years of helping people this year- after it’s birth in which the three founders sat around a kitchen table with a hope for change.
West Cumbria Domestic Violence Support (known locally as the Freedom Project) began in 1997, when it’s three founder members Carole Launder, Shirley Fawcett and Susan James recognised a need for change to support domestic violence victims in the area.
We’ve seen a huge change in how domestic abuse is perceived.
When our charity started its work, domestic violence was either not talked about or simply brushed off as ‘a domestic’. There was nowhere for victims to turn. That has changed profoundly. TV and radio drama have played an important role. Powerful storylines in Eastenders, Emmerdale, and The Archers have brought the subject into our living rooms.
The need for our service grew and grew over the years which led us to increase our scope to work with perpetrators in 2008 and Children and Young people in 2012.

Present Day

Today, we provide a free, holistic, family-based approach, working with victims, perpetrators and children suffering from trauma and effects of domestic and sexual abuse.
We provide emotional support, practical support, 1-1 counselling and group work with the ultimate aim of trying to break the cycle of abuse, helping people recover and move on with their lives.
Here in West Cumbria, rates of domestic abuse are five per cent above the national average and referrals to our service are increasing. We are the only organisation offering free, long-term, community-based support in our area.
We’ve seen a collaborative, multi-agency approach develop in recent years. Even though we’ve come a long way, there’s a lot more to do. But we can eradicate domestic abuse if we work together to address it.