Features / Bristol Charity Advent Calendar 2024
Bristol Charity Advent Calendar 2024, day 24: Next Link
From 2023-2024 2.3 million people in England and Wales experienced domestic violence, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Indeed, according to the National Centre for Domestic Violence, one in four women will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. One in six/seven men will as well.
And according to national women’s domestic violence charity, Refuge, at least one woman in England and Wales will be killed by an abusive partner or ex-partner every five days.
is needed now More than ever
That is why the Next Link, a domestic abuse support service based in Clifton, is so important.
Every year, on the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls, Next Link hosts a candlelit vigil – photo: Rob Browne
Next Link is part of Missing Link, a woman-focussed mental health, housing and homelessness charity which has been around since 1982.
Next Link offers an array of services for survivors of domestic abuse – regardless of gender or age.
They provide safe houses, a crisis response service, accredited advice and guidance as well as dedicated teams working on forced marriage and honour-based violence.
Help is available 24-7 to people across Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset.
One of the many testimonials on Next Link’s website reads: “I spent many weeks in a woman’s refuge after leaving a 40 year marriage of domestic violence. I moved into temporary accommodation on 8th December, which is a one- bedroom flat.
“This is when Next Link became involved, they helped with form filling, which I find quite daunting at the moment. They have helped me in so many different ways, to me they are my safety net, and gradually because of their help, I am rebuilding my new life and looking forward to being rehoused permanently and settling into my new life.”
For more information about Next Link, and to support the work they do, visit: https://nextlinkhousing.co.uk
Main photo: Next Link
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