A refuge marked 40 years of operation with a big celebration.
The Salisbury Women’s Refuge held an evening reception on May 24 to celebrate their 40th anniversary.
The refuge was founded in 1984 under the auspices of the Diocese of Salisbury in conjunction with the Soroptimists.
The event at the home of Bishop Stephen Lake was attended by trustees of Salisbury Women’s Refuge including the Deputy Lieutenant, Lady Lansdowne, the mayor of Salisbury and Chief Constable, Catherine Roper.
Members of Salisbury Soroptimists and the Mothers’ Union were well represented, having been instrumental in the founding of the refuge and continuing to have strong links with it.
The guests enjoyed piano music provided by Sam Lake and harp music courtesy of Katie Salomon.
Speeches were given by Rt Revd Steven Lake and chair of trustees, Caroline Probert, with words from DL Lansdowne before the cake was cut.
The refuge provides accommodation for up to 12 women and their children, who are fleeing from domestic abuse and need a secure place to live.
While at the refuge they receive support from the refuge staff using nationally approved programmes to learn skills for recognising and dealing with abuse and measuring their progress.
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