22nd April 2020.
Business Club support for Chester Women’s Aid.
Chester Business Club’s final event before the Covid-19 lockdown was the annual Ladies Charity Lunch.
Held at the Abode Hotel Chester on March 6th this year’s event, organised by Club chairman Julie Swinnerton, was in support of Chester Women’s Aid.
Sponsored by Jolliffes Solicitors, the event’s guest speaker was Chiara Lisoswki – a One Young World Ambassador, a Trustee for Chester Women’s Aid and a TEDx speaker – who is herself a survivor of domestic violence.
The lunch has resulted in the Club sending a donation of £1,600 to Chester Women’s Aid.
Chester Women’s Aid chairman Fiona Neame says, ‘We offer very warm thanks to Chester Business Club for their generosity in donating such significant and much-needed funds. The donation could not have come at more important time. When “Stay home, stay safe” is the mantra we are all living by during the Covid-19 pandemic, this advice is extremely dangerous if you are living in an abusive relationship. Chester Women’s Aid gives emergency grant aid to families fleeing domestic abuse, to enable quick funds to reach people who have no other source of statutory funding.’
‘We know that the number of women being murdered in England and Wales has already increased from two women to five women per week and there is no way of knowing if this figure will continue to rise. It is so difficult for women (and men) in abusive relationships to make contact and ask for help if they are being monitored constantly by their perpetrator, so we all need to be vigilant on their behalf.’
Julie Swinnerton said, “It was really great and very rewarding to again have the backing of so many ladies for this annual event, and do so in support of Chester Women’s Aid.”
◼In an emergency, where life or injury is threatened, you should always call 999, using the silent solution of tapping 55 if unable to explain the situation to the call handler without alerting the per-petrator. For advice please go to Open the Door Cheshire or telephone the National 24 hour helpline on 0808 2000 247.