As part of my ‘40 for 40’ this year I visited the Dorset Rape Crisis Support Centre and was really interested to learn all about this Charity which helps both men, women and young people over the age of 16 in Dorset who have suffered from rape or sexual abuse.

I met with their lovely volunteer co-ordinator who told me all about the charity and the wonderful volunteers who give up their time to lend an ear and offer advice through either the telephone helpline, online live chat service or face to face councelling.  They offer confidential emotional support to anyone who has suffered sexual violence or rape regardless of whether it was recent or not.  Not only do they offer a listening ear but they are able to give advice on medical, legal and police matters and accompany survivors to clinics, police stations and clinics if required.  The charity has a team of 30 Counsellors who are on hand and it is always stressed that those they help are survivors and not victims.

Last week was 'Sexual Awareness Week' and there was a National Campaign to help raise awareness.  The hashtag #itsnotok was used across all social media and highlights the fact that a survivor should not be ashamed and it’s good to talk.  Charities up and down the Country invited people like AFC Bournemouth to hold up their banner and spread the word.  Survivors even came forward to tell their story and encourage other’s to not deal with the abuse alone or blame themselves.

If you or someone you know has been raped or sexually abused then please give them a call on 01202 308855.  The telephone helpline is open *on a Monday from 1pm – 3pm, Tuesday 10am – 12 noon, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 7.30pm – 9.30pm and Saturday from 4pm – 6pm.  A 24 hour answer phone service is also available.

Do you think you would be able to help?  Would you like to volunteer?  DRCSC are currently recruiting volunteers for the telephone helpline and live chat service. They are also looking to recruit volunteer councillors however qualifications are required for this post.  Training will start in April and you are asked to commit to 6 hours per month and you must be over the age of 18 to apply.  If it is something you may be interested in but would like to know more please contact the volunteer co-ordinator on 01202 308848.  

Thank you ever so much to the Dorset Rape Crisis Support Centre for meeting and educating me.  It's a service which is required much more than I thought it was and I'm pleased to know that survivors of sexual abuse have a place that they can contact when they are in need of help.

UPDATE: The Dorset Rape Crisis Supprt Centre has now become STARS Dorset.

Love

Dorsetmums
#2 of 40

*Details are correct at the time of writing.

**UPDATE 2020 - Sadly, due to the Panedmic, Safewise Bournemouth has had to close**

Did you know that Bournemouth has THE most amazing place where children and adults can learn about safety in a fun and interactive environment?  I recently accompanied a tour at Safewise with a lovely group of Sea Scouts to see what they do and I was completely amazed, not only by the amount of areas within the safety village but also the dedication and passion that the volunteers have.



My group safety guide was called Stuart and all the children in our group listened intently and eagerly asked him questions all the way round.  We visited the beach where the children donned a life jacket and sat in the boat to talk about the dangers that can occur and then we went off to look at the roadwise circuit.  The group loved standing by the roadside which had an actual bus and car on and they talked about road safety and practiced crossing the road safely before heading to the scene of a bicycle crash.



From here we went into the house (yes, it is like an actual house) and went upstairs to what was set up as a bedsit.  The children all had to look for dangers and fire hazards like an iron on the floor, cutlery sitting in the microwave, candles by the curtain, fizzy drinks can on the TV and sockets hanging off the wall.  Once all the dangers had been found Stuart opened a set of curtains covering a big window and showed us a shocking mirror image of the room and what it would have looked like if all of those dangers had occurred.  From here we went down in to the kitchen to look for more dangers and we talked about fire safety and even practised a fire drill when Stuart turned on a little smoke machine.  Once the group had shouted ‘Fire, Fire, Fire’ and crawled out on their hands and knees one of the boys made a 999 call in a phone box to report the house fire (all pre-recorded and not real of course).

After spending time in the house we went through an alleyway in to the garden which had a pond and shed with a gnarley dog barking inside! (Again a recording).  After discussing the dangers we went to the electricity sub station and railway tracks and they even had the front of a real train which the boys were desperate to get in!



Our last stop for the evening was the internet café which was great for this age group as they were invited to go into a virtual chat room and learn how easy it is to be coaxed into meeting in real life and how the person may not be the person who they think they are.

At the end there was a group round up with the other Sea Scouts and they discussed some of the things they’d learnt in the evening along with the importance of wearing a helmet.  Before they left they were given a certificate and because I’d been a good girl I got one too!



There was so much more to see which is why I'll be taking my children to the open day on Wednesday the 15th of February.  I know my son won’t fully understand everything but he will have a good idea of most things and I’m very eager to drum road safety in to him.  

If you’d like to know more about Safewise then please head to the website where you can read all about them plus the tours you can attend and upcoming community events.  It really is a wonderful charity which receives no government funding and relies on sponsorship from local services and fundraising events so please support them if you can.

Big thank you to Safewise for allowing me to accompany a tour and thank you for everything you do to educate local children on everyday dangers.

Love

Dorsetmum
xxx

#3 of 40

• Tweet