Mums In Need launches 2023 fundraiser raising awareness of coercive control in Sheffield

Mums In Need (MIN) is challenging the public to each raise £2,023 over the course of 2023 to help raise awareness and money to tackle coercive control.

CEO of MIN, Laura Riley, 43, from Nether Edge, said: “It’s so important to support causes like this because no other services offer specific support to mums who have left abusive relationships, and things can get so much worse from that point. We need to fundraise because we can’t just rely on grants that might be unsuccessful or we hear nothing back.”

Mrs Riley set up MIN in 2013 after she left an abusive relationship and realised something needed to be done to support other women going through a similar experience. The organisation stresses the moment a mum leaves an abusive relationship can be difficult, especially navigating systems like the family court.

Mrs Riley said: “It’s such a lonely place and I didn’t have a MIN to support me, but women now have somewhere to go and it’s so fulfilling for us to know we’re helping.”

The organisation relies on grants and donations to keep going, so all money raised will go towards funding its services, which include offering women mindfulness sessions, trauma workshops and counselling.

The charity has even teamed up with the business China Red to raise vital donations through an optional £2 service charge for MIN at its restaurant, and it is encouraging as many people as possible to get involved in the 2023 fundraiser.

Media and marketing lead, Sara Ford, 33, from Rotherham, said: “I’ve been here for just over a year and it is a really lovely feeling to be able to work on behalf of these women and show that we care. £2,023 is the ideal target we want people to set, but even if someone just wants to raise £100 that’s a huge amount of money for our charity and it will bring important visibility to the

cause.”

Some of MIN’s team members have already started their range of fundraising campaigns from bike rides and walking challenges to music gigs and litter picks. Ms Ford said: “This isn’t just a fitness frenzy. We wanted to make the fundraiser accessible so people can set themselves challenges that suit them. If 10 people raised £2,023, that would be over £20,000 we could put back into the charity to help 32 more families through our services.”

The charity runs both a referral and self-referral system for women, but hopes with more successful fundraisers it will be able to cut its waiting lists and help even more mums sooner.

Mrs Riley said: “We want to support more women and make this service available on a national level in the future. We’ve created an absolutely amazing team and I couldn’t be prouder of the work we do.”

For any businesses or people who want to raise money for MIN go to its get involved page: https://www.mumsinneed.com/get-involved.

Alternatively, you can visit the charity’s JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/2023forMumsInNeed.

To find out more about the charity, including where to get support, visit: https://www.mumsinneed.com/home.