Our impact
At Nottingham Central Women’s Aid, our main aim is simple but powerful: to help women and their children escape safely from abusive situations and rebuild their lives free from fear.
Every statistic is a story, every story deserves support. Women’s Aid is here to help survivors rebuild their lives with safety, security, and peace.
1 in 3
women will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime. This is not rare, it’s a crisis that affects women in every community
Homelessness
Domestic abuse is the leading cause of homelessness for women in the UK. Leaving an abusive partner can be lifesaving, but it can also put women and children at risk of losing their homes
1 in 5
children live with domestic abuse. The impact can last a lifetime, affecting their safety, wellbeing, and development
Every story of safety, resilience, and recovery reminds us why our work matters. On this page, you’ll find women’s voices and experiences — in their own words — showing the difference safe accommodation, practical support, and a listening ear can make.
Survivor's stories
*All names have been changed to protect identities.
Gemma's story
Gemma was fleeing her family due to honour based violence and was six months pregnant when she entered our refuge. She was referred to us by her local authority as she needed to leave the area. When Gemma came into refuge she was frightened, felt isolated and was unsure about her future and that of her unborn child. She had had to cut ties with all of her family members in order to be safe.
Initially Gemma spent most of her time in her room and very rarely socialised with the other women in refuge. Her support worker spent a lot of time trying to encourage her to get involved with activities around the house to feel less isolated and vulnerable. We immediately made contact with the specialist midwife team who support women fleeing domestic violence, are homeless or seeking asylum. We also contacted the local honour based violence units.
Although Gemma is native to this country, her support worker attended all appointments with her at her request. We applied for hardship payments as she had no money and minimum possessions when entering our refuge. Slowly Gemma began mixing with the other women and found a sense of belonging.
Unfortunately, due to the stress Gemma had encountered when she fled her family, she went into labour a month early. Staff took her to hospital and supported her through her labour and birth. In preparation for the birth we appealed to our donors and supporters to make a collection and purchase items she would need for her and her new born. Due to complications from early labour Gemma remained in hospital for a few weeks. However, when she was ready to leave and we brought her back to refuge, her room was decorated, a cot was built and items for Gemma and her baby were ready to be used. The residents we had at that time were also very supportive of a new born and helped Gemma when they could.
Gemma’s support worker, along with the health visiting team, continued to supported her and her baby through the early months. Gemma is now a strong, independent woman in good health and her baby is happy and content and making good progress. With our support Gemma and her baby have now secured a new home and are embarking on the next chapter of their lives, living independently and free from fear.
Sarah's story
Sarah came to the refuge with her young daughter, fleeing abuse from an ex-partner who was the father of her daughter. She was fleeing emotional and physical domestic abuse from him and was feeling depressed. The perpetrator would kick Sarah's front door and persistently wake her up with threats by text and constant calls, this was a regular occurrence for her.
Sarah fled when the abuse escalated and perp physically assaulted her. She bravely called the police who got her to safety of a hospital and she was then referred to refuge and came to Central. She was supported by our specialist complex needs support worker and provided with wraparound support by the whole team. She was initially supported emotionally and given practical support from staff to access clothing and food to meet her immediate needs.
Central Women’s Aid supported her to go through the legal process to get orders put in place to keep her and her child safe. This enabled her to sleep safely at night which had a massive positive impact on both her physical and mental wellbeing. The support worker liaised with the local council to get her rehoused into a private rented tenancy and supported her to get her daughter into a local school. We carried out risk assessments and created a safety plan as well as acquiring a Ring doorbell from a partner charity. Sarah is now resettled in the community of her choice and a productive and active member of society. She keeps in touch and attended our summer trips and Christmas party.