For National Stalking Awareness Week 2024, the National Stalking Consortium theme, led by our partners at The Suzy Lamplugh Trust is, “Join Forces Against Stalking”.

Effective multi-agency working is crucial for ensuring victims of stalking are supported from their point of disclosure right through until a conviction and beyond. This year, we are calling for agencies across the police, CPS and healthcare to join forces, and work together to effectively support victims of stalking. We will be showcasing examples of best practice and highlighting the important role multi-agency working has played for the victims we support.

Stalking behaviours and referral to Aurora:

Jessie* was referred to our Thames Valley stalking service by Victims First following a report to the police that her ex-partner had been spying on her through cameras she had set up for her pet, the stalker had been constantly contacting her.

Jessie was in a relationship with the stalker for over five years. The relationship became abusive when their first child was born. The stalker would tell Jessie that if she ever left him, he would destroy her and take away the children. Jessie had been subjected to multiple sexual assaults by the stalker and six accounts of rape, she ended the relationship and moved into her mother’s home with her children. Arrangements were made for child contact through a third party, although the stalker did not attempt to see the children for a few months.

There were occasions in which Jessie had been having private conversations with her mother and her new partner would receive messages alluding to what had been said. The stalker also stole a key for Jessie’s mother’s house and let himself in.

Support provided:

We have been working with Jessie on her safety planning and encouraged her to invest in the Hollie Guard app, a personal alarm, and a video doorbell.

Multi Agency Working:

We referred Jessie to our partners at the Faisal Luke Pro Bono Project, a group of expert lawyers who gave her advice around a Child Arrangement Order and child contact. Unfortunately, Jessie was told by one police officer that the case was ‘low priority’ so we raised this with the force lead in Thames Valley police and the officer was spoken to. This message left Jessie feeling really low and undervalued and we continue to work with her around feeling confident to continue to report to the police.

Jessie has struggled with her mental health and had attempted to overdose before accessing our service. She has been working with mental health professionals and continues to engage in the services and options offered by them. We have remained in contact with her health team to ensure we are working together to provide the best support for Jessie.

Due to some early errors, the case was not referred to the CPS within the statutory time limit by the police, and because the rape charges were separated from the stalking, the charges under stalking were not initially considered under a s.4a, which constitutes the most serious offences in the legislation.

This caused Jessie a great deal of stress and she has been diagnosed with further health issues by her GP, brought on by the stress of the case. We advocated with the police to charge under a s.4a and the police eventually took a statement from Jessie.

Victim Voice and next steps:

Jessie doesn’t have much faith in the case going through the criminal justice system, but she has come this far and needs to prove to the stalker that he does not control her anymore and that she is strong. She is still navigating child contact and Jessie says this has been uncomfortable but manageable, and we routinely update her safety plan with her to make sure she and the children are safe.

We now have to wait for a review of the statement to see if the case can be submitted for the S.4a. Jessie still finds it difficult to leave the house on her own and said she is often concerned the stalker is setting up cameras or listening devices when she is not at the house.

Our next steps are to continue liaising with the police to keep Jessie updated. Jessie understandably still struggles with her mental health, and we continue to link in with those services and assess other options available for her.

Jessie told us she would not have been able to get through all of this without our support and always feels more positive after speaking to us. She also explained that she feels she can open up to us and that she is being understood, and not just listened to.

“You are one of the only services I am being supported by that empowers me to make my own choices and supports me through them.”

*not her real name

#JoinForcesAgainstStalking

If you are being subjected to stalking and you live in Thames Valley, call us on 02392 479254.

You can also contact the National Stalking Helpline on 0808 802 0330.

If you would like to support the Aurora New Dawn charity and you are able to donate you can do so here:

If you would like to support our female only group work and you are able to donate you can do so here:

Aurora’s helpline – 6pm to 9am Monday to Friday and 24hrs over the weekend 02394 216 816

For National Stalking Awareness Week 2024, the National Stalking Consortium theme, led by our partners at The Suzy Lamplugh Trust is, “Join Forces Against Stalking”.

Effective multi-agency working is crucial for ensuring victims of stalking are supported from their point of disclosure right through until a conviction and beyond. This year, we are calling for agencies across the police, CPS and healthcare to join forces, and work together to effectively support victims of stalking. We will be showcasing examples of best practice and highlighting the important role multi-agency working has played for the victims we support.

Stalking behaviours and referral to Aurora – Armed Forces case:

Izzy* is serving in the British Army. She was referred to us via her staff sergeant and unit welfare officer. Izzy told us she had met the stalker through friends at a party and he was added to a WhatsApp group to arrange a camping trip. From there he used Izzy’s number to message her personally.

The messages started to get personal, and Izzy made it clear that she was not interested in a relationship. From there the messages came through on all the client’s social media pages and became very sexually explicit. This was particularly distressing as when Izzy had joined the Army, she had shut down many of her social media accounts, however the messages continued, and she was left feeling like he could circumnavigate any of her security restrictions, so she reported the stalking to her unit.

Support provided:

Throughout the case we consistently reviewed all of Izzy’s online and offline safety. There were multiple access points the stalker used, including that the stalker had found out the street where her mum and sister lived, and he told her he had been outside watching for Izzy. Due to this Izzy had not been returning home to seek support from her family.

Multi Agency Working:

Izzy was put in touch with the MET Police. An officer took several statements from Izzy and downloaded the evidence from her phone to a USB. A harassment order was issued, and the stalker contacted Izzy immediately after receiving the order and told her:

“They’ll have to jail me or kill me before I’ll stop”.

We encouraged Izzy to take this to the police and they said he would be arrested, but he wasn’t, and he continued to stalk her. Izzy was told later that the stalker had convinced the police that they had been in a relationship, and this was their rationale for taking no further action. It was deemed to be ‘a bad break-up’.

Over this time, Izzy changed her surname and blocked all contact and media accounts. The stalker would create more accounts and find ways to message her. The messages ranged from declarations of love to threats to kill her, kidnap her, and sexually assault her.

The stalker described in messages that he had raped his partner and beat her whilst imagining the client. The messages came through at approx. 100 a day and Izzy did not read them; they were left in a message request folder. The videos the stalker sent included naked images, and they were very threatening.

Izzy was really reluctant to report to the police, but she recognised it was now affecting her work and emotional state and she needed support. We supported Izzy to understand our capacity to advocate on her behalf and once she was ready, we called 101 and reported to Hampshire police. They deemed client high risk and said they would attend immediately. A short time later Hampshire Constabulary told us that they had passed the case to Sussex as it was under their jurisdiction.

Initially, Sussex said Izzy was not high risk and there was no way to tell when a police officer would come out, so we attended a meeting with them, and they informed us this was a simple harassment case and they would only need to look at the last 6 months of evidence. At the meeting, the police officer told us it would have been easier if the client had been in a relationship with the stalker.

Our Armed Forces advocate sought guidance from senior management at Aurora who immediately linked in with colleagues at different police depts for assistance. West Sussex police got back in touch and asked the client to send them screen shots of all the messages received.

There were so many messages and Izzy was incredibly distressed at sending them, so we intervened and advocated for the police to organise a face-to-face meeting at a police station so they could take the evidence directly from the phone. It took 2 days to download one weeks’ worth of messages. The Met police intervened at this stage, and after communicating with senior management at Aurora they sent specialist officers to collect the data without Izzy being present. They discovered many hidden messages that Izzy hadn’t seen and stated the content was so disturbing they would not be disclosing it to the client. The Met police took over the investigation and immediately put markers on the homes of the client’s family. The stalker had sent pictures from outside the client’s father’s house and made threats of harm.

The Met police spoke to Izzy’s family to ensure there was safeguarding for everyone connected to her. Whilst all this was going on Izzy was due to deploy oversees and she was encouraged to go, once she was safely out of the country the Met police took a team to arrest the stalker and seize all equipment in his home.

The level of knowledge he had about Izzy was extreme and they were also able to establish who his new partner was to offer her support and assistance.

Victim Voice and next steps:

The stalker was charged and convicted of a stalking 4a offence. He was given a suspended sentence which he immediately breached.

Contact with the police was limited as they preferred going directly to Izzy’s chain of command in the Army, this was frustrating for a young soldier as she did not want her work to know every detail in the case. They assumed she could not complete her duties but it also added a delay in the support we could provide.

We supported Izzy throughout the criminal justice process and the stalker was sent to prison in violation of his suspended sentence.

On case closure, the client was linked in with mental health services in the army and she remained determined to continue in her travels to progress in her career. After the stalker was jailed, Izzy described the silence as being as frightening as the stalking, because the fear had been a huge part of her everyday life, and she struggled to cope when it stopped. She said it was such a strange feeling that others couldn’t understand, and it made things harder for a while as she came to trust that it was finally over.

We met Izzy a year after the case was and she said:

“I finally sleep well at night because since the stalker was released from jail he has been forced to work with mental health teams and, thankfully all the behaviour’s towards her have stopped.”

*not her real name

#JoinForcesAgainstStalking

If you are being subjected to stalking and you live in Thames Valley, call us on 02392 479254.

You can also contact the National Stalking Helpline on 0808 802 0330.

If you would like to support the Aurora New Dawn charity and you are able to donate you can do so here:

If you would like to support our female only group work and you are able to donate you can do so here:

Aurora’s helpline – 6pm to 9am Monday to Friday and 24hrs over the weekend 02394 216 816

For National Stalking Awareness Week 2024, the National Stalking Consortium theme, led by our partners at The Suzy Lamplugh Trust is, “Join Forces Against Stalking”.

Effective multi-agency working is crucial for ensuring victims of stalking are supported from their point of disclosure right through until a conviction and beyond. This year, we are calling for agencies across the police, CPS and healthcare to join forces, and work together to effectively support victims of stalking. We will be showcasing examples of best practice and highlighting the important role multi-agency working has played for the victims we support.

We will share a series of blogs to evidence the importance of effective partnership working for victims of Stalking:

Stalking behaviours and referral to Aurora:

Danna* had been experiencing unwanted behaviour from a friend, he has been running to and from his car to her house and ringing her doorbell. He was loitering outside her house and looking through windows. Danna told us that she had been on a handful of dates with the suspect, and he had become infatuated with her. He was continually stalking her via social media and the stalker would regularly purchase coffee and have it delivered to Danna’s place of work.

Support provided:

We worked with Danna to construct a safety plan, including looking at online and offline access points for the stalker. We discussed all the security measures she could put in and around her house, and recommended the Hollie Guard app, and ID identifying sprays to use whilst she was out shopping. We checked her passwords online with her and security settings on all online platforms.

Multi Agency Working:

We liaised with the police to ensure a marker was placed on her home, her Mum’s home, and her workplace. We also advised the importance of keeping a timeline of incidents as evidence and assured her we would attend the police station with her to offer support when she gave evidence. Danna’s mental health was severely impacted from the stalker’s behaviour, so we linked her in with her GP. In addition, Danna was suffering from acute anxiety and fearful of what the stalker was capable of, so we made sure to give her regular emotional support calls, and continued to ensure she knew of her options on mental health support services.

We experienced some inconsistent communication from the initial police officer in charge of the case, so we raised our concerns to the Police Stalking Lead in Thames Valley, who placed a new officer on the case, instantly the new officer was open to suggestions and kept us and the victim up to date with the progress of the case, this relationship ensured an effective multi agency practice.

The stalker continued to target Danna, both online and offline, every day Danna was having to open her social media accounts and the stalker had posted stuff online, he was also running past her house all the time, it was an incredibly traumatising time for her.

Victim Voice and next steps:

Due to the fact that Danna had kept a log of all incidents and bravely engaged with the police, with us, and with the Crown Prosecution service, she was able to secure a conviction of stalking under s.4a. We further worked with Danna and the police officer to ensure she felt safe and supported in giving her victim personal statement, we also advocated for her with the police on obtaining a stalking protection order, which she secured successfully.

Just because the criminal justice side of things is over it doesn’t mean the need for support is concluded, we make sure that victims leave our service once they are aware of the other support they can access, particularly in relation to the trauma they will be feeling. Danna told us:

I’m just mind blown with everything, I am feeling more positive and I just wanted to thank you for continuous support. It’s certainly been challenging…

*not her real name

#JoinForcesAgainstStalking

If you are being subjected to stalking and you live in Thames Valley, call us on 02392 479254.

You can also contact the National Stalking Helpline on 0808 802 0330.

If you would like to support the Aurora New Dawn charity and you are able to donate you can do so here:

If you would like to support our female only group work and you are able to donate you can do so here:

Aurora’s helpline – 6pm to 9am Monday to Friday and 24hrs over the weekend 02394 216 816

Aurora New Dawn has launched a new support service providing help and advice for people experiencing domestic abuse, sexual violence or stalking in the Royal Navy, which can be used by Royal Navy personnel or their families and is available wherever in the world the person may be posted.

Dr Shonagh Dillon, CEO at Aurora New Dawn, said: “We are very pleased to be working in partnership with the Royal Navy to launch this service specifically for Navy personnel. We recognise that people in the forces community are often worried about the consequences of speaking out about these issues. Service life is different, and for those in the forces community experiencing domestic abuse, sexual violence or stalking, the risks, barriers, and the support options can also look and feel different as a result. That is why our bespoke service is so important to victims within forces communities.”

“Our Navy advocate is part of the forces community themselves, so they have the specialist knowledge and experience needed to help someone understand their options and make the right decision for them.”

Rear Admiral Jude Terry, the Royal Navy’s Domestic Abuse Awareness Champion said “I’m pleased to be able to resume the partnership with Aurora New Dawn for the reinvigorated Independent Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (DASV) support service for our personnel and their families. This partnership is part of a range of support mechanisms being implemented to ensure that, with the Armed Forces Advocate, we provide support and advice to our people experiencing these complex and difficult issues”.

As part of the partnership, Aurora New Dawn will be providing ongoing training and education to key contacts working within the Royal Navy, such as welfare staff and those in leadership roles.

Shonagh continued: “The training we provide is an important part of the service. We focus on improving the knowledge and awareness of key staff groups so they can be more confident in responding to disclosures of violence and abuse in the right way.”

The service is confidential and is available to any serving member or partner of Royal Navy personnel who is experiencing domestic abuse, sexual violence or stalking.

To access the service, people should contact Aurora New Dawn on 02392 479254.

If you would like to support the Aurora New Dawn charity and you are able to donate you can do so here:

If you would like to support our female only group work and you are able to donate you can do so here:

Aurora’s helpline – 6pm to 9am Monday to Friday and 24hrs over the weekend 02394 216 816

Aurora New Dawn Needs Your Support in the Discount Promo Codes Charity Poll this December (2023).

In the run up to Christmas we are keen to be able to support the women in our female only groups with some Christmas presents if that is possible, and we need your help to win a donation of 20% of the Discount promo codes profits!

Who Are Discount Promo Codes?

Discount Promo Codes hosts a charity poll every month, within which 3 charities compete to win a donation. So far, they have donated over £62,000 to charity, and the winning donation is 20% of their profits for the month. They nominate different charities to take part every month, and this month Aurora New Dawn is one of their nominated charities!

What Is the Discount Promo Codes Poll?

The poll is decided by the public, so the charity with the most public votes at the end of the month wins the donation.

How Do I Vote in the Poll?

Key information:

Voting is 100% free, easy and just takes two clicks. In order to cast your vote you need to:

1. Head over to the https://www.discountpromocodes.co.uk/
2. On the right-hand side (or bottom of the page on mobile) you will see the charity poll
3. Click the small circle next to Aurora New Dawn to vote!

It takes just seconds, but it will mean a lot to Aurora and can have a huge impact on wellbeing and mental health. Everyone gets one vote, you don’t need to use any vouchers in order to vote and the poll will run from 9am December 1st 2023 until midnight December 31st 2023.

Thank you so much for your kind support in voting for us.

If you would like to support the Aurora New Dawn charity and you are able to donate you can do so here:

If you would like to support our female only group work and you are able to donate you can do so here:

Aurora’s helpline – 6pm to 9am Monday to Friday and 24hrs over the weekend 02394 216 816

The impact of the cost-of-living crisis spreads far and wide; we recently shared a blog about the ripple effects on the charity sector, with enormous changes felt across the industry. But that’s only part of the problem and we must also talk about the significant impact that the cost-of-living is having on victims and survivors of domestic abuse.

Research from Women’s Aid found that:

• Almost all survivors (96%) responding had seen a negative impact on the amount of money available to them as a result of cost-of-living increases.
• Two thirds (66%) of survivors said that abusers were using the cost-of-living increase and concerns about financial hardship as a tool for coercive control, including to justify further restricting their access to money.
• Almost three quarters (73%) of women living with and having financial links with the abuser said that the cost-of-living crisis had either prevented them from leaving or made it harder for them to leave.

These figures are a frightening reflection of the reality so many victims are facing: stay in a dangerous situation or face potential poverty.

In this blog we explore just some of the factors impacting women and girls experiencing domestic abuse amidst the cost-of-living crisis.

Women are feeling trapped within their abusive relationship

Women living in an abusive household are disproportionately affected by the cost-of-living crisis. Many cannot afford to leave and live alone, and this leads to them having to stay in an unsafe home because they feel that, financially, there is no other option.

“A huge issue is that abusers are very aware of this. We see many perpetrators cutting off victims from any financial resources so that they have to rely on them entirely. They want their victim to feel as if they cannot live without them – it’s their way of exerting more and more control, leaving the woman feeling completely trapped,” said Dr Shonagh Dillon, Aurora’s CEO.

This sense of helplessness is compounded for women who have children because of the implications of affording even the most basic of things for their dependents. Research from Refuge found that 58% of frontline workers said that survivors could not afford enough food for themselves and their children, almost half (49%) said survivors couldn’t afford school uniforms and other basics for their children. If a mother in an abusive relationship knows she would be unable to feed her child if she were to leave, she will find herself facing an impossible decision.

Lynne Thompson, Aurora New Dawn Army Advocate, notes: “I have a lot of victims/survivors trapped in military homes because they can’t access local authority housing and cannot afford the private rents – in essence, these women are being pushed to quit their jobs and take benefits. Even then benefits don’t cover rent and leave them in really poor places financially.”

Abusers are using the cost-of-living as a weapon to exert further control

Nearly two out of five UK adults have experienced economically abusive behaviour in a current or former relationship. The cost-of-living crisis is only exacerbating this issue.

“Abusers are using the cost-of-living crisis as a means of justifying their controlling behaviours. They limit victims’ access to money under the guise of concerns about familial financial hardship. In reality, it’s just another way to create a feeling of fear and helplessness in their victim and as a tool for coercive control,” said Shonagh.

For those who have left their abusive relationship, ex-partners are also using the crisis as a reason not to pay (or to reduce) their child maintenance support. This pushes the survivor into their own financial difficulties, with mounting stress and anxiety around how to make ends meet.

Women who are able to escape the abusive relationship are leaving with no money for essentials

Life does not suddenly become easy for victims once they have escaped their abuser, just because victims leave doesn’t mean the abuse ends. Alongside the need to still manage the risk posed to them from their abusive ex-partners they also have to deal with mounting food, energy and rent costs, and they often find themselves in unattainable economic situations.

“We see victims having to return to live with their abusers because they cannot survive and support their family financially. It’s heartbreaking to see, sending them straight back into the same relentless cycle of living with a violent and abusive man,” added Shonagh.

Here at Aurora, we have noticed a huge increase in victims/survivors needing housing advice – they are not able to afford private rent but there is a limit on the number of houses available in social housing. There are more women staying in violent relationships because of this, as well as others who are now sofa surfing with their kids just to stay safe.

Brianne Atkins, Aurora’s stalking advocate, said: “Many of the clients I support are living in council or housing association homes and want to move away from a stalker or away from where the trauma occurred. However, it takes a super long time to get them moved. When I’ve raised renting it is almost always not an option financially so they’re stuck because they can’t afford private rentals and the system isn’t supporting them.”

The cost-of-living is making victims feel even more isolated

With less disposable income there are less opportunities to leave the house and be around other people. This deepens the sense of isolation that many victims will already be feeling.

Speaking of her experience supporting members of the forces, Lynne Thompson – Aurora New Dawn’s Army Advocate – said: “We are having to be a lot more creative about ensuring women who want to access our group work are able to do so with the increasing costs of sending their children to a childminder. We’ve noticed that we were only really seeing women with school aged children and over on our most recent group, which, in turn, makes those clients with younger children experiencing domestic abuse more isolated, at an already isolating time.”

Our work with women caught up in the criminal justice system means we are able to run groups for women in prison. A lot of the women have told us that they are having reduced visits due to family and friends as they are unable to afford the cost of travel. This has a significant impact on victims’ mental health and their feelings of seclusion, especially when they cannot see their children. We have adapted our sessions to offer emotional support to women affected by this.

Support services for victims are under strain

Across the board, support services are under major strain. We have noticed that victims trying to access civil legal advice are severely impacted by the cost-of-living crisis.

“We have run a free pro bono legal advice clinic for women we support since February 2023. One of the women, Jenny*, doesn’t qualify for legal aid but doesn’t have extra money for legal fees. Jenny accessed our pro bono clinic for advice and support and like many of our clients she is now having to navigate the civil justice system without any financial support from the state and no savings to pay for a legal representative. Our pro bono clinic is full every session – showing the desperate need for it – and we continue to benefit from this as a free resource from The Faisal Luke Pro Bono Clinic, for victims and survivors.” said Shonagh.

Adding to this, Zoe Jackson – Operations Manager at Aurora – said: “In the forces service, we are seeing people fleeing with no money to buy anything for their new properties. We’re working with other charities to try and negotiate some support. Up until July, we were able to dip into the Safelives Circle fund but that has now closed. The Women’s Aid hardship fund closed within a matter of days due to being so oversubscribed. It’s an awful case of these incredible services being underfunded and oversubscribed.”

At the start of this year, it was found that 97% of charities and social enterprises had been directly affected by the cost-of-living crisis. The third sector has felt the hit considerably, and – consequently – service users feel the aftermath too.

What does Aurora recommend?

There are many ways you can get help if you are in a difficult situation.

• If you are experiencing domestic abuse call 0808 2000 247 or our helpline in Hampshire 02394 216 816.
• If you want support for financial abuse, please contact Surviving Economic Abuse I need help – Surviving Economic Abuse.
• For general advice on the cost-of-living crisis please reach out to your local Citizens Advice Bureau Get help with the cost of living – Citizens Advice.

We believe there is also more that can be done to support victims and survivors because the need far outweighs what is available. We fully support the call from Women’s Aid made in its report on the impact of the cost of living impact on survivors of domestic abuse, including: an Emergency Domestic Abuse Fund, reducing energy costs for refuges during the crisis and making better provision of legal services for survivors.

If you would like to support the Aurora New Dawn charity and you are able to donate you can do so here:

If you would like to support our female only group work and you are able to donate you can do so here:

Aurora’s helpline – 6pm to 9am Monday to Friday and 24hrs over the weekend 02394 216 816

Aurora and Adam

It was lap dancing that brought Shonagh, the CEO of Aurora New Dawn, and me together. At least, that’s how we would joke about it in the years that followed. In 2019, a lap dancing club was reopening near where I lived and I was unhappy about what this would mean for the local community. Long story short, I discovered that Aurora had attempted to block the opening, so I reached out to them to see if anything could be done to help them.

The more I learned about what Aurora stood for; safety, support, advocacy, and empowerment to victims and survivors of domestic abuse, sexual violence, and stalking, the more I wanted to dedicate time to helping them in what way I could.

At first glance, it might seem that there’s no place for a man with Aurora; Aurora rightfully has an all-female staff in order to provide safety and support for its clients. Being a man, it was clear to me that any involvement I had with Aurora would have to be appropriate to this fact. And so it was that I found myself ‘the website dude,’ dealing with the technical maintenance of the Aurora website. A role I was grateful for as it balanced helping the cause with appropriacy.

My running journey

Time passed and in my free time, I began running for my own health and fitness. I began entering competitions and events to set myself goals. When signing up for my first event, I realised this was a great opportunity to show my support for Aurora’s cause. Consequently, I badgered Shonagh for an Aurora t-shirt to wear and away I went. Every event I entered I would wear my shirt to show my support. Then post the photos of me at the events online and share them with friends and family. Later, in the run up to 2022’s 5km Great South Run, I regularly posted online and set up a fund raiser page for Aurora.

This 2023, I had made such progress with my running that I entered the 10-mile Great South Run. What a privilege it was to run in the Great South Run with seventeen thousand others, all there for different reasons, so many doing it for charity, and to be showing my support for Aurora.

Running for change

Aurora seeks to raise awareness of the violence against women epidemic. As is often the case, women are the ones speaking out about the violence against them while men all too often look on. I firmly believe that it is crucial for men to actively engage in this, adding their voices in condemnation of violence against women.

As all men, I have women in my life, all of which I want to protect. I want a future in which women don’t have to live in fear of experiencing violence. By supporting Aurora and participating in events to raise awareness, I hope my small contribution is a reminder of the need for a world where women are respected, protected, and empowered to lead the lives they choose.

If you would like to support the Aurora New Dawn charity and you are able to donate you can do so here:

If you would like to support our female only group work and you are able to donate you can do so here:

Aurora’s helpline – 6pm to 9am Monday to Friday and 24hrs over the weekend 02394 216 816

Discussions about the cost of living have become as commonplace as COVID-19 only a short time ago, with an enormous impact rippling out far and wide. Here at Aurora, we have seen huge repercussions for our service users as well as a shift in the support they require from charities like ours.

However, another major impact that is less well known, is that on charities themselves.

At the start of this year, it was found that 97% of charities and social enterprises had been directly affected by the cost of living crisis. The Charity Aid Foundation also reported that:

• 86% of charitable organisations are worrying about the effect of cost of living increases will have on those that depend on their services.
• 59% are concerned that people will not continue to or begin to donate to their cause because of the cost of living crisis.
• Over 80% of nonprofits expect to struggle with increased cost of utilities for their own venues, as well as managing wage increases.
• Overall, 35% believe their organisation will struggle to survive altogether.

We echo many of these fears. This year has seen huge changes for Aurora – and while supporting the women and children who desperately need our services will always come first, different challenges due to the cost of living have continued to crop up along the way.

Here we share some of the factors impacting ours – and many other – charities, as well as how we are striving to mitigate the effects.

How are charities being affected by the cost of living?

We are seeing many charities struggling to raise necessary funds and even make ends meet. It’s a worrying time, with a sharp spike in people seeking help from these charities, putting additional pressure on a sector that’s feeling the weight of the cost of living.

From Aurora’s perspective, we are doing everything that we can to minimise the impact so that we can keep delivering our much-needed service to survivors and victims; this includes applying for additional core funding, adjusting the way that we work with service users and finding ways to better support our staff, too.

Some of the ways that we have been affected include:

1. More people need to use our services.

Our main duty line has seen an increase in calls of 25% in the second quarter of this year (April-June 2023). This is a major spike, and one we largely attribute to the range of ways that the cost of living crisis is impacting our users. This has, as a result, led to an adjustment in the way that we support them.

“In our prison groups, a lot of the women are saying they are having reduced visits due to family and friends not being able to afford to travel. This can have a significant impact on the women’s mental health and increase their feelings of isolation, especially when they cannot see their children. We have incorporated extra work in our sessions to offer emotional support to women affected in this way.” said Dr Shonagh Dillon, Aurora’s CEO.

“We have also noticed a huge increase in victims and survivors needing housing advice – they cannot afford to pay private rent but there is a limit on the number of houses available in social housing. Anecdotally, we are seeing more women being forced to endure violent relationships because the option of leaving is severely limited, and there are other women sofa surfing with their kids just to stay safe.”

Aurora will always find ways to help women who need us, but as more and more victims are needing our services, resources become increasingly restricted. This is one of the many reasons why government, trust and corporate funding is life changing for charities and the people that they support.

2. Oversubscribed and underfunded frontline services.

We are also seeing more people come to us for advice on frontline services that sit outside of our direct remit, meaning that the nature of many of our service line calls has changed.

Shonagh explained, “We think this is due to oversubscribed and underfunded services. More people are now calling us to find out what support options are available to them, because the support that would previously have been accessible elsewhere is either not open to them or not as responsive as they need, because all services are struggling with the same issues.”

“Consequently, our helpline is now more needed than ever, and we’ve had to adjust our training to ensure that all staff are able to respond to the varying needs of callers. It’s of the utmost importance that someone reaching out for help experiences support from us and feels better informed than when they first called us.”

3. Higher staff turnover.

The charity sector has always had its struggles with regards staff turnover. While people come into the third sector for all of the right reasons, ultimately the sector cannot match wages and, sometimes, progression opportunities that their corporate counterparts can. In 2022, a survey put not-for-profit as the top sector for staff moves and this is certainly something we’ve seen more of recently.

The cost-of-living crisis spans across many demographics, and we have seen this first-hand within our charity. One of our team has had to sell her home due to the mortgage being too high and she has moved into a rental property that is much smaller. Another staff member has told us how she is struggling with everyday food bills and utilities.

She shared: “I probably wouldn’t be able to do this job if I didn’t have a partner earning a good wage and I wouldn’t have a choice but to look at private sector jobs to earn more, or even do a job that I didn’t want to do or enjoy!”

Unfortunately, not everyone is in the same position, with many charity workers having no choice but to move into the private sector. It’s important for us to support our staff in any way we can, so we give the women who work at Aurora a £50 supermarket voucher every few months, as well as buying the team lunch on a Wednesday.

One staff member said: “I want to say that the gift vouchers and Wednesday lunches do make a massive difference. I know that for some of the team, that has meant that they don’t need to struggle to do a food shop, so it really does go a long way.”

4. Less fundraising opportunities.

It won’t come as a surprise that, as a sector, fundraising itself has been heavily impacted by the cost-of-living crisis. According to BritainThinks, just under a quarter of the public have cancelled or reduced their charitable donations in order to help reduce the burden on their monthly finances. An additional 39% of these people said that they intended to reduce their charitable donations in the future in order.

We have reduced our organisational fundraising events because we already know how hard it is for people to make ends meet. Although we commit to at least one fundraiser a year, and we always get so much support from the community when we do, we are really conscious of not adding any burden to our supporters, many of whom are victims and survivors themselves.

5. New difficulties accessing people we need to support.

Our mission at Aurora is to offer safety, support, advocacy, and empowerment to survivors of domestic abuse, sexual violence and stalking. No matter what our own circumstances at the charity, this will always be our driving force. However, we are now seeing different barriers stopping the people who need us from being able to reach out.

“Take up for our forces group work has been low and a lot of this is to do with childcare: people simply can’t afford to send their children to a childminder or get a babysitter to cover the sessions. This means we’re only really seeing women with school aged children and over, which, in turn, makes those clients with younger children experiencing domestic abuse more isolated, at an already isolating time.” said Lynne Thompson, Aurora New Dawn Army Advocate.

This means that victims are not receiving the help they need because they do not have the means to join sessions. This is a worrying issue that we are working to find extra funding to offer a creche for women who want to access our group work, but as stated funding is already limited and we are in a position of knowing that we aren’t as accessible in our services as we should be or want to be.

What will happen next for charities during the cost of living crisis?

It’s difficult to know what the future landscape looks like for the third sector in the midst of the cost of living crisis. Shonagh Dillon says: “Every feminist led organisation working in this sector know that we are lucky to continue the legacy handed down to us from our second wave sisters . They founded the UKs male violence against women movement on a budget of precisely nothing, with no state support, and those women are truly an inspiration to us now. Our services are run by and for women, and the vast majority of the Aurora staff team have been subjected to men’s violence themselves – as such we understand the need for charities like ours to keep fighting to stay afloat. We will always keep victim/survivors as our central priority – times are hard, but we have a duty to our fore sisters and those that come after us to continue to do all we can to keep going, and to support as many women as possible.”

If you would like to support the Aurora New Dawn charity and you are able to donate you can do so here:

If you would like to support our female only group work and you are able to donate you can do so here:

Aurora’s helpline – 6pm to 9am Monday to Friday and 24hrs over the weekend 02394 216 816

Aurora New Dawn is celebrating its ongoing partnership with the Army for Armed Forces Day.

As the main charity providing this type of specialist support to the British Army, Aurora New Dawn has recently been funded to deliver its advocacy support for another three years thanks to the Army Central Fund. An independent charity, the Army Central Fund disperses over £2.5 million a year to support projects and activities that contribute to the well-being of serving soldiers and their families. Their mission is to make life better for serving Regular and Reserve Army Personnel and their immediate families.

Aurora has worked in partnership with the Army Welfare Service (AWS) since 2018 to offer a bespoke package of support to victims and their families who are affected by domestic abuse, sexual violence, and stalking.

Shonagh Dillon CEO at Aurora New Dawn says: “The AWS is a key partner in our work with victims, they have been instrumental in our work within forces communities. The key to ensuring victims feel supported lies in the strength of our relationships with AWS. We work together to ensure that victims are offered independent support from Aurora, but just as importantly we want to ensure that they understand what support is available to them from the Army’s own services.”

In addition to the funding, the charity will be launching a new service later this year to support victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault and stalking who are either working for the Royal Navy, or spouses or partners of those serving within the Royal Navy.

Speaking of the new collaboration, Dr Shonagh Dillon, Aurora’s CEO, said:

“We are delighted to be working with the Royal Navy again and are soon to be launching a service for Royal Navy personnel and their dependents who are victims of domestic abuse, sexual violence and stalking.

“We understand that forces life is different to civilian life and we are proud to offer bespoke services to victims and survivors in the Royal Navy communities.

“We are really looking forward to continuing our work with colleagues in the forces; together, we can ensure that victims and survivors receive specialist, independent support tailored to their needs.”

As part of the new service, Aurora New Dawn’s Director of Policy Practice and Development, Zoe Jackson, will also be providing domestic abuse and sexual violence awareness and response training to Royal Navy police divisional officers at RNAS Culdrose in July. Zoe said:

“Providing support to victims and survivors is just one part of the service. This work goes hand in hand with the training we provide, ensuring that staff can effectively and sensitively handle disclosures of domestic abuse, sexual violence and stalking situations with confidence.

“In the last five years the way we work with the Army has developed and it has become a true partnership. We are now proud members of the Armed Forces Covenant, and have received the bronze award in the Armed Forces Employer Recognition Scheme.”

The Army Advocate service launched in 2018 to support personnel and their dependents, aged 16 and over, with independent advice and guidance from people who know how the military works. From practical to emotional support, Army Advocates are members of the forces community themselves and help victims to take the right course of action for them, from liaising with the right agencies to moving forward, to navigating the court process.

The demand for help is constant, and in 2022 a second Army Advocate was recruited to meet demand. Between June 2022 and May 2023, 77 women and men were supported through the specialist service, for domestic abuse (82%), stalking (17%) and sexual violence (1%).

One such client is Mrs M*, who moved to the UK to be with her husband when he was serving in the Army. Within weeks he was physically abusing her and no matter what she did, she says: “He just got so comfortable beating me”. The Army Advocates worked with the Army Families Federation to secure Mrs M’s visa and enable her to work, liaised with housing agencies to obtain a local authority flat and supported her as she began divorce proceedings.

Speaking of her own experience supporting victims of domestic abuse within the British Army, Aurora New Dawn Army Advocate Lynne Thompson said:

“The majority of our clients come to us with a great deal of fear. Army life is different to civilian life – while the survivor knows that they need help, they may be scared to share what they’re going through with colleagues or friends. Many victims also don’t know what support and options are available to them, or what they are entitled to and what would happen to them if they disclose the abuse. It can be terrifying – the people who come to us are incredibly brave, and it is our job to explain what options may be available, offer them emotional support and advocate for them.

“We are incredibly happy to now be in a position where we are able to continue our Army Advocates service for another three years as well as expand into the Royal Navy. It will enable us to help more and more victims and survivors on their first step toward healing from the abuse they have been subjected to.”

* not her real name

If you would like to support the Aurora New Dawn charity and you are able to donate you can do so here:

If you would like to support our female only group work and you are able to donate you can do so here:

Aurora’s helpline – 6pm to 9am Monday to Friday and 24hrs over the weekend 02394 216 816

Aurora has been very privileged to run stalking services since 2013 in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. We were an organisation of only two years old when we were first approached by an amazing advocate for stalking victims in Hampshire Constabulary, DS Linda Dawson, who was instrumental in changing legislation for stalking victims via the Protection from Harassment Act. We worked closely with Linda and with the then Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Hayes, and his team, to establish the first independent stalking advocacy service outside of London.

For the last ten years, we have operated the independent stalking service in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and have supported over 1,500 victims of stalking. We have won multiple awards for our service provision, were highlighted as a best practice model by HMIC and have been partner to instrumental change for stalking victims nationally with the support of our partners at The Suzy Lamplugh Trust.

Our service was funded year on year via grants, predominantly for one advocate each year, although for a period of time we were able to extend the service by having a bespoke cyber stalking advocate. Running a service on yearly grants meant we lost many good staff over the years as their employment security could not be guaranteed. We are thankful to every woman who worked in the service over the years, they were all part of systematic change for stalking victims, and many have gone on to continue their work with victims in other areas of work. We are pleased that the service has now been commissioned on a more secure footing, with extra funding for more advocates, under a three-year contract.

Unfortunately, we were unsuccessful in securing the new contract in Hampshire and the IOW. The new provider will be announced by the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight this week, and we will work hard to ensure a seamless transfer of victims to the incoming provider for July 1st, 2023. We are sad that we are not able to continue our work in Hampshire and the IOW with stalking victims, competitive tendering in the Violence Against Women sector is incredibly difficult for small charities. Nonetheless, we are extremely grateful for all the funding we have received over the last ten years to establish and build the service for victims in the two counties. We are proud of the service we have delivered and the learning we have been part of with partner agencies. Most importantly, we are incredibly thankful to the victims who have trusted us over the years, we have learnt invaluable amounts from all of them, and they continue to be an inspiration to us.

Moving forward our stalking services in Thames Valley go from strength to strength and we have some very exciting plans for expansion of provision for victims in this area. We will announce those developments soon. The work in Thames Valley is incredibly rewarding. Partner agencies are a delight to work with and we have felt incredibly welcome. There is a tangible desire to address the pernicious crime of stalking in new and innovative ways across the Thames Valley area, and we are excited to be a part of that change. We thank the PCC, Matthew Barber, and his team, in Thames Valley for the support and funding of our service delivery. We will continue to work hard to support as many victims of stalking as we can across the area.

Our work within the Armed Forces also continues to grow. We have run services for personnel and their families who are victims of domestic abuse, sexual violence and stalking since 2017. We are currently funded by the Army Central fund to support victims in the British Army both in the UK and abroad. This year we have been delivering a new group programme, funded by The Covenant Fund Trust, for victims in the armed forces, this is a pilot project that we are co-designing with victims to ensure a bespoke group programme is available for victims across the Armed Forces, to heal and recover from the abuse they have been subjected to. We are also excited that new and innovative services are coming online for victims in the Armed Forces, across the different force areas, and will announce updates on these developments in the near future.

Over the years, we have supported many victims through the criminal justice system, and we have witnessed many of them bravely secure criminal convictions against their stalkers. However, all too often we still witness victims being let down by a criminal justice system that does not adequately respond to the crime of stalking. Much work still needs to be done to hold stalkers to account, and we will continue to work with partner agencies to improve justice for victims.

Stalking is a crime that changes the lives of victims. Stalker’s behaviours have lifelong psychological impacts on victims, and sometimes tragically their behaviours are fatal for victims, both in terms of homicide and suicide, we will work endlessly to ensure victims voices are heard and that they are protected.

Where victims of stalking have been tragically murdered by their perpetrators, or died by suicide after being subjected to stalking, members of the Aurora Senior Management team are committed to chairing and authoring robust Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHR) across England and Wales. We will continue working with the families and loved one’s of stalking victims to ensure their experiences are not forgotten and they are honoured within reviews. Our DHR work aims to bring about systematic change and learning to help victims in the future.

For National Stalking Awareness week 2023, #NSAW2023, the campaign of the national stalking consortium, of which we are proud members, is focusing on young people being subjected to stalking, and our services are open to anyone aged 16+.

Please keep an eye on our social media this week and follow The Suzy Lamplugh Trust on their social media: share, retweet and raise awareness of stalking.

If you are a victim of stalking, you can contact us on 02392 479254 or email us at stalking@aurorand.org.uk.

You can also contact the National Stalking Helpline on 0808 802 0300.

A huge thank you to all who support us, and an even bigger thank you to all the victims and survivors who trust us to support them.

#NSAW2023

Dr Shonagh Dillon LLB, DCrimJ

CEO – Aurora New Dawn

If you would like to support the Aurora New Dawn charity and you are able to donate you can do so here:

If you would like to support our female only group work and you are able to donate you can do so here:

Aurora’s helpline – 6pm to 9am Monday to Friday and 24hrs over the weekend 02394 216 816