RISE CARDIFF WELCOMES THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL TO SURVIVOR’S COFFEE MORNING
The RISE Cardiff service, which provides a response to Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (VAWDASV) in Cardiff, were joined by a Royal guest on Tuesday lunchtime, when her Royal Highness, the Duchess of Cornwall attended a Safe Space Cafe and met the teams from Cardiff Women’s Aid, Bawso and Llamau who work in partnership to provide the RISE Cardiff services.
During the visit, her Royal Highness listened to survivors discuss their experiences of domestic violence and sexual abuse, and how the services at RISE, Cardiff Women’s Aid, Bawso and Llamau had supported them on their journey to recovery. At the end of the coffee morning, the attendees presented her Royal Highness with a journal for ‘Own My Life’, a 12-week course which supports women in regaining ownership of their lives when they have been subjected to abuse or violence by an intimate male partner. The Duchess of Cornwall then continued her tour of the RISE facilities, going on to meet the Adult and Children & Young Person’s Teams and partners from Cardiff Council, the Health Board and Ynys Saff, SARC.
‘I was put in contact with RISE as a victim and survivor of domestic abuse and sexual violence’ said one survivor. ‘The staff were amazing from the first point of contact and continued to support me through my journey from recovering from control for many years. I attended the Recovery Toolkit with the Women’s Centre and that really helped me to understand domestic abuse and how the perpetrator controls the victim to a degree that they do not understand what is going on in their life.’
The Duchess heard about how RISE Cardiff responded to over 7000 calls into their helpline and supported over 3500 women and children in the last year. As nationally reported, the service saw an increase during COVID and referrals are looking to increase this year again. RISE Cardiff services have had to adapt to the changing environment and the dedicated team have been flexible and resilient to respond to the changes and higher demands.
The Safe Space Cafe is one of the initiatives set up by Cardiff Women’s Aid’s Recovery & Aftercare team to give women who have been supported by their services and any other women from Cardiff an opportunity to come and meet each other. This has been a vital space as we come out of COVID restrictions for women to connect, build supportive friendships and find empowerment in the community.
Debbie Beadle, CEO Cardiff Women’s Aid says ‘It is a pleasure to welcome Her Royal Highness to RISE Cardiff and Cardiff Women’s Aid. We are very proud of our service and our dedicated and talented team who are here to provide much needed support to all women and their children affected by violence in Cardiff.’
