Swindon people came together to harness the power of family fun to tackle domestic abuse at Society Without Abuse’s (SWA) Festival of Fun.
The festival, held at GWR Park, saw local people join in with family-friendly activities, including face painting, inflatable obstacles and great local food, with a special appearance by Swindon Town Football Club players to take on budding footballers with ‘Challenge the Goalie’.
STFC Midfielders George Alston and Dylan Mitchell, as well as Captain of the Women's Team Annie Colston, stepped into the goal to face challengers of all ages.
"Natasha Moyles, Operations Manager for SWA, said: “This was a great day of fun which raised over £600 for the charity.
"This money will go to ensuring we can continue our work to not only help those who have suffered from domestic abuse, but also work with the next generation and those who currently use harmful behaviours to stop domestic abuse from happening.
“We were delighted that Swindon Town Football Club, as well as our other great supporters and partners including the Zurich Community Trust, came to spend time at the Festival of Fun, helping us meet our goal of one day achieving a society without abuse.”
Bank Holiday Monday saw the start of SWA fundraising challenge, 50 for 50, marking 50 years since the charity opened the doors to the first refuge in the town.
SWA is asking people to do something around the number 50 to help end domestic abuse. This could be aiming to raise £50, doing something for 50 days or 50 times, or getting 50 people together.
Natasha said: "Compared to the costs of delivering our services, we only receive a small proportion in public funding. So, we rely on our community to join forces with us to not only prevent but put an end to domestic abuse.
“Our 50 for 50 Challenge means that everyone can take part by choosing their own activity and so events can be big or small.
'We’ve had some great ideas so far, including baking and selling 50 cakes, sponsored silences for little chatterboxes, walking a mile a day for 50 days or holding a wine tasting for 50 people.
"If people want to join in but need inspiration, we’ll be sharing lots of ideas on our social media pages too.”
The 50 for 50 Challenge runs until Tuesday 14 October. For more information and to sign up, visit www.givengain.com/campaign/support-society-without-abuse or find SWA on Facebook and Instagram @SocietyWithoutAbuse.
Anybody needing advice for themselves or a friend relating to Domestic Abuse can call Swindon’s domestic abuse helpline on 01793 610610.
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