The charity works to support children and young people in the borough who have been affected by relationship abuse. SURT’s vision is that if children and young people feel safe and happier in relationships, they will be able to recover from harm alongside developing hope and aspirations. The charity’s Volunteer Project is designed to develop, pilot and implement a volunteer framework that will enable SURT to increase its service capacity to allow it to be better positioned to respond to local needs.
It will also provide inclusive volunteering opportunities that will allow individuals to develop their own interpersonal and work-related skills as well as contributing to economic growth in the local community.
Leanne Hansen, managing director of SURT, has expressed her excitement at being able to grow the charity’s services to help meet the needs of the local community.
She said: “We recognise there is a local need for our specialist relationship abuse service, but that to respond and to effectively prevent and stop relationship abuse we need to grow capacity. We are excited about this area of service development and about the difference it will make.”
Funding for SURT’s Volunteer Project has been granted by the Badur Foundation who noted that the charity was successful due to its local roots and user-led approach.
Amy Harker, from the Badur Foundation, stated: “The Foundation is delighted to support SURT to increase service capacity whilst also providing inclusive volunteering opportunities. SURT recognises that supporting volunteers properly, and therefore meaningfully, takes dedicated time and resource. Based on the success of a pilot, the SURT team aim to expand this offer into an ongoing programme, ensuring those opportunities continue and individuals can hone their skills and experience.”
Source: The Shields Gazette
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