A WORCESTER charity which supports survivors of rape and sexual assault will receive royal recognition later this month.
The the West Mercia Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre, who have provided support to survivors for more than 30 years, will be visited by the HRH the Duchess of Gloucester on Tuesday.
The centre recently moved to new and bigger premises in Worcester and has opened their services to parents and children as young as five.
In the last year alone the centre has supported more than 2,000 survivors.
The charity also runs educational programmes in schools as well as training and awareness raising sessions and a helpline service.
Executive Officer Jocelyn Anderson said: “Our vision is to provide survivors of sexual violence with the support they need, when they need it for as long as they need it.
“As you can imagine, funding this objective is an ongoing challenge with our counselling service receiving no dedicated funding from health or local authority budgets.
“We are privileged to have the support of some 50 plus volunteers who give their time and skills for free as well as a hard-working dedicated staff team. It is a fantastic organisation that I am proud to be a part of.
“This year we have been focusing on ensuring our services are aligned to what survivors tell us they want and need.
This has included relocating to an office with facilities specially set up to work with our youngest children. We are keen to share this with the Duchess when she comes to our new premises later this month.”
The centre is always on the lookout for more volunteers or people able to raise funds for them.
For more information call 01905 611655 or [email protected].
