Mary Hodges
My Story
This year I’m running the Bath Half to raise money and awareness for SafeLives. They are an amazing charity — more information about them is included below.
I really want to highlight and raise awareness of coercive control within relationships. This type of abuse is often unseen but incredibly damaging. My best friend was in an abusive relationship for over 20 years before finally finding the strength to walk out the door with nothing.
More needs to be done to support victims and, more importantly, hold perpetrators to account to end their trail of abuse, which too often continues from one victim to the next.
They are a UK-wide charity dedicated to ending domestic abuse, for everyone and for good.
They work with organisations across the UK to transform the response to domestic abuse.
They want what you would want for your best friend. We listen to survivors, putting their voices at the heart of our thinking.
They look at the whole picture for every individual in the family, to get them the right help at the right time, so families everywhere can be safe and well.
And they challenge perpetrators to change, asking ‘why doesn’t he stop?’ rather than ‘why doesn’t she leave?’ This applies whatever the gender of the victim or perpetrator and whatever the nature of their relationship.
Last year alone, they delivered more than 700 sessions to over 15,000 learners across the UK in policing, health, housing, justice, education and the specialist sector. And we have reached 90,000 adult and 100,000 child survivors through programmes designed and delivered with partners.
In the last 9 years, close to 7,000 perpetrators have been challenged and supported to change through flagship interventions developed by our Drive Partnership, and the programme continues to expand year on year.
Together we can end domestic abuse. For everyone. For good.
