yourSanctuary is a domestic abuse charity based in Surrey, UK. In our refuges we work with women and children who have fled their homes due to the violence and abuse they have experienced. In order to help the children to recover from their experiences and enable them to utilise the limited garden space we have, we are looking to raise 2,750 pounds to build a new climbing frame and basketball hoops for our children to be able to let off some steam and spend more time outside.
We currently have a row of swings in the refuge but nothing that would be suitable for older children therefore we are looking to purchase a purpose-built climbing frame and a set of basketball hoops for our refuge children to promote a healthy lifestyle and encourage time spent outside. At any given time we have 5-8 children staying in our refuge from newborn to 15 years. We recognise the value of our children being able to play outside when overcoming their past experiences with domestic abuse
We have already been successful in raising sufficient funds to build a similar climbing frame with swings in one of our refuges and the impact it had on the children there was phenomenal. Not only does it encourage them to spend time outside in the fresh air, it teaches them to value themselves (We care about you and therefore want you to have a nice equipment) but also encourages team play as opposed to sitting in their rooms on their own playing on their tablets.
'My (6 year old) daughter Rosie didn't used to like playing in the garden at all but when the new climbing frame got assembled she wouldn't want to come off it. She would spend every afternoon after school playing with her other little friends from the refuge on the swings or pretending she was the queen on top of the castle being rescued. I haven't seen her playing so nicely in a very long time and not only that she suddenly started to have a healthy appetite and slept better.'
