The home the Independent constructed: First secure haven for ladies fleeing home abuse is completed | EUROtoday

The keys to the primary of two secure havens constructed by The Independent’s Brick by Brick marketing campaign for ladies fleeing home abuse have been handed over.

Construction of the primary purpose-built secure home was accomplished this week, after the vastly profitable marketing campaign launched in partnership with main home abuse charity Refuge was backed by readers, politicians, royalty and celebrities.

The Queen, Sir Keir Starmer, Dame Helen Mirren, Dame Joanna Lumley, Olivia Colman, Victoria Derbyshire, Andi Oliver, David Morrissey and Sir Patrick Stewart have been amongst these to supply their assist.

Stories of the truth of home abuse, together with courageous survivors akin to Esther who spent every week held hostage in her personal flat, kickstarted a nationwide dialog concerning the prevalence of home abuse within the UK.

The new home, which has been constructed by Persimmon Homes, is in a secret location to guard survivors. It is a semi-detached house with a lounge, open-plan kitchen and eating room.

The house additionally incorporates a non-public backyard for survivors to get pleasure from safe outside house and consists of a lot of security options, together with CCTV, a fireproof letter field and enhanced locking options on home windows and doorways.

Geordie Greig, editor-in-chief of The Independentstated: “This is a monumental achievement, and I’m immensely proud of the role our readers and supporters have played in building this house Brick by Brick.

“Together with Refuge and Persimmon Homes, we have delivered a state-of-the-art property which will provide sanctuary for countless vulnerable women and children.

“There’s more to come, with the construction of the second home well underway, and we will continue to use every means at our disposal to increase awareness of this national crisis and create lasting change.”

The house has two double-sized bedrooms, a downstairs lavatory and built-in cabinet cupboard space. It additionally has a non-public drive with off-road parking and photo voltaic panels on the roof, making it 30 per cent extra vitality environment friendly than older properties.

It will now be completed off by Refuge’s group of feminine decorators to create a trauma-informed house, full with furnishings and furnishings.

The House(s) The Independent Built: In numbers

Length of the marketing campaign: 100 days

Money raised through the marketing campaign: £576,984

Number of donations throughout enchantment: 2,282

Amount of bricks for 2 homes: 10,946

Number of roof tiles for 2 houses: 1,500

The variety of builders who constructed the homes: Up to 50 builders engaged on the location every day

Size of two homes: gross ground space of 1357.12 sq. toes

The house is the primary of two equivalent secure homes being funded by the Brick by Brick marketing campaign, which was launched in September 2024 in response to the nationwide home abuse disaster.

Thousands of ladies throughout the UK face hazard in their very own houses, however a lady is turned away from a refuge each two hours on account of a scarcity of house or capability.

The Independent has heard testimony from a variety of survivors, together with ladies who have been crushed, misplaced their jobs, mates and kids, whereas others have been just too terrified to depart.

BBC broadcaster Victoria Derbyshire recalled how her father threw scalding soup over her as she stood in her college uniform and beat her mom so badly on one event that she suffered a damaged rib.

When the preliminary goal of £300,000 was reached after only a month of fundraising, The Independent determined to construct a second home with over £576,000 raised in whole by our beneficiant readers.

Gemma Sherrington, CEO of Refuge, stated: “Today marks an important milestone in our partnership with The Independentwith the completion of the first of two safe houses built with funds raised through our Brick by Brick campaign. This house will offer a safe, supportive space for survivors of domestic abuse, giving them the opportunity to rebuild their lives free from fear.

“We are incredibly grateful to all those who donated, raised awareness, and supported Brick by Brick. This achievement is not just about the physical building, but the new beginning it represents for women and children who desperately need it.

“While today is a cause for celebration, the reality is that domestic abuse continues to devastate lives. This is just the first step, and we will continue working tirelessly to ensure that more survivors have access to safe spaces and expert support to overcome the impact of abuse.”

The property will look precisely the identical as these surrounding it, to make sure that victims don’t really feel remoted. Survivors – together with these with older youngsters – can be free to carry pets with them, one thing that many refuges are usually not capable of accommodate.

As the home will see many survivors move via it, Refuge will perform upkeep and a deep clear between every household.

During a household’s keep, Refuge workers will present emotional assist and authorized recommendation, and can assist ladies with security planning, budgeting, discovering a secure new house, coping with debt and making use of for welfare advantages, accessing well being providers, and discovering nurseries and faculties.

Anthony Vigor, chair of the trustees for the Persimmon Charitable Foundation, stated: “We are delighted to be handing over the keys to the first Refuge home built by Persimmon. It has been a real privilege to be involved with this project and the life-changing benefits it will deliver.

“Everyone has a right to feel safe and we are pleased that this home will shortly become a much-needed sanctuary for a family surviving domestic abuse.”

The nationwide home abuse helpline gives assist for ladies on 0808 2000 247, or you’ll be able to go to the Refuge web site. There is a devoted males’s recommendation line on 0808 8010 327