Following the General Election, we wrote to all West Mercia MPs to invite them to meet with us and hear more about the work that we do. We have been really pleased with the response, and those conversations started in August with a visit from Chris Bloore MP for Redditch. Chris is a newly-elected MP but was well-versed in the challenges facing an organisation like West Mercia Women’s Aid, and we had a lively and far-ranging discussion when he visited our office in Worcester. We took the opportunity to impress upon him the constant increase in demand for our services from women and their children in their recovery from domestic abuse. We also talked about the importance of timely confirmation of government funding to support that work. We know that funding for public services is under extreme pressure and that asking for more may well be unrealistic. But, like so many voluntary sector organisations, we can make a little go a long way if we have some certainty about the resources that we have at our disposal. Time to plan is essential if we are to sustain the vital work that we do. We appreciate the time that Chris took out of his busy schedule to meet with us.
Sue Coleman our CEO also had the opportunity to meet with Ellie Chowns, who is the newly elected MP for North Herefordshire. Sue met with Ellie as part of a conversation organised by Herefordshire Women’s Equality Group to talk specifically about Violence Against Women and Girls, and to enlist Ellie’s support in raising issues nationally – in particular about domestic abuse and sexual violence. We look forward to meeting again with Ellie in the coming months, and involving some of our front-line colleagues in that conversation.
