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A Harrogate charity founder who escaped an abusive relationship is celebrating five years of helping hundreds of other women in a similar situation by launching a new appeal.

After experiencing first-hand how difficult life can be in the aftermath of escaping an abusive relationship, Lindsay Oliver held the very first peer support group meeting in February 2019.

Next month will see New Beginnings Peer Support Group mark its fifth anniversary with a major campaign to grow awareness and raise £5,000 to expand the post-crisis work this remarkable charity carries out.

“Domestic abuse affects all genders, all ages, from all backgrounds regardless of their economic status,” said the charity’s CEO Lindsay Oliver, who escaped an abusive relationship with her young son in June 2018.

Harrogate's Lindsay Oliver, left, has helped hundreds of women and children after escaping an abusive relationship and setting up the New Beginnings Peer Support Group charity in the town five years ago. (Picture contributed)

“The impact can last a lifetime, and this is particularly true for those who are then ordered by the courts to have contact with their abuser due to child access."

Lindsay believes the Harrogate-based charity plays a crucial role in giving women back the confidence to go out and continue their lives without fear.

Like many other charities, however, the cost of living crisis has made it harder for New Beginnings Peer Support Group.

If successful, the fundraising target of £5,000 would amount to an extra day per week of peer support for a whole year.

“As a small charity, raising funds is vital for us to be able to deliver our services and to also expand our capacity as the number of referrals,” said Lindsay.

"But the growing complexity of those referrals due to the impact of Covid and the cost of living crisis is continuing to rise.

“We are aiming to raise £5,000 in our fifth year to pay for an increase in our peer support hours, to enable our team to reach more women in need and to support them and their children to improve their health and wellbeing.

“We want to provide them with the tools to build a solid foundation from which they can start to build their lives again.”

Donate to New Beginnings Peer Support at: https://new-beginnings-peer-support.square.site/

More information at: https://www.newbeginningspeersupport.com/

Harrogate woman who escaped domestic abuse has helped hundreds of others after launching her own charity