High Sheriff of Wiltshire Dr Alexander Goodwin joined Rotary Club of Swindon President Debbie Vincent to present a cheque for £9,842.88 to Swindon’s domestic abuse charity Society Without Abuse.
It was raised at this year's fundraising concert hosted by the High Sheriff on behalf of Rotary Swindon Cares, the fundraising arm of the Rotary Club of Swindon.
The concert featured performances from young choristers of the JTP Trust Youth Choir and stunning songs from one of Swindon’s premier close harmony singing groups, Ten in A Bar.
Christ Church in Old Town opened its doors to welcome the community’s generous music lovers, who raised the money through a combination of ticket sales and kind donations made on the evening.
Dr Goodwin, who was also a Consultant in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, said: “In the four months I have been High Sheriff, my eyes have been opened about domestic abuse is all about.
"Having been at the front end of medical care I had seen some of the effects of domestic abuse, but meeting people and the charities that support the victims has made it clear that it’s a much more common problem and it needs to be dealt with, especially through education and raising the profile is the way forward. Well done SWA and I hope this wonderful cheque will help continue the great work.”
The Rotary Club of Swindon has been a key supporter of SWA for a number of years, also recently having donated the proceeds of their annual Charity Ball to ensure the charity’s services supporting victims and families, and delivering healthy relationships education to young people can continue throughout the town and beyond.
President Debbie Vincent said: “SWA is a wonderful charity and one that has gone from strength to strength over the years that I have known them.
"It is so important to be able to support the charity and the work it does and to secure this vital charity for the future.”
Kate Rowland, CEO of SWA, accepted the cheque on behalf of the charity. She said: “Over the past 20 years of holding the annual High Sheriff’s concert, it has gained a rightful reputation as not only a wonderful night out of music and fun, but also as a way for the community to come together to support SWA and our programmes of early intervention, prevention and education that enable us to support victims of domestic abuse as well as work towards stopping it happening again.
“We’re proud to be working within the community to provide the support where it’s needed, as well as having provided lessons to thousands of young people in Swindon to help them understand in an age-appropriate way what healthy relationships are.
"Through our business services we’ve equipped employers with the knowledge and policies they need to be domestic abuse aware and our behaviour change programme is already stopping harm from being repeated.
"All this is thanks to the fundraising and support we are so grateful for from our local community.”
Anybody needing advice for themselves or a friend relating to Domestic Abuse can call Swindon’s domestic abuse helpline on 01793 610610.
To find out more about SWA and other ways to fundraise and support the charity, people can visit www.societywithoutabuse.org.uk.
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