The Lampstand Group — Our Mission

Registered charity · Domestic abuse awareness

The Lampstand
Group

Bringing light where there is darkness — and refusing to turn away.

Our Mission

We must not turn away

Domestic abuse is a
national emergency.

Compassion is at the heart of our thinking. People with lived experience are at the heart of all we do.

01

Person-centred

Every person is met as an individual, with dignity and choice.

02

Trauma-informed

We understand the lasting imprint of abuse and respond with patience.

03

Collaborative

We walk alongside survivors, partners and communities together.

Our mission

We support recovery.
We support healthy relationships.

We live in a world of violence and anger. Our calling is to be a lamp on a stand — visible, steady, and impossible to ignore.

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021

What the law calls abuse

  • Physical — violent or threatening behaviour.
  • Controlling or coercive behaviour.
  • Economic abuse — one of the most common yet least understood; its effects can last for years.
  • Psychological & emotional abuse.

“Domestic abuse does not discriminate. It is not based on your age, class, your postcode, or your status.”

The UN declared violence against women a “national threat”, February 2024.

Recognise

How to recognise the signs of domestic abuse

Effects of abuse

The harm runs deep

It can profoundly impact a person psychologically, emotionally, physically, financially and spiritually.

  • A desire for power and control over another
  • Fear of their partner, and feelings of guilt
  • Low self-esteem; mental-health challenges that move from normal to abnormal trauma
  • Feeling responsible to “fix” the relationship
  • An abuser has low self-esteem — and seeks control over another
0 children are without fathers in the UK
0 people with lived experience of DA also faced economic abuse (SEA, 2024)

Disabled people experience disproportionately higher rates of abuse — more severe, more frequent, and over longer periods. (Public Health England, 2015)

Trauma-informed

Understanding trauma

1Trauma is stigmatised — yet it touches more lives than we admit.
2“Trauma” is the Greek word for wound. It is our response in order to survive.
3Those impacted by trauma become fixated on survival.
4PTSD, anxiety, depression and addiction are normal reactions to abnormal, varied, repeated trauma.
5Trauma raises the risk of substance misuse — and of:
  • Homelessness
  • Financial debt
  • Toxic relationships
6With the brain fixed in survival mode, those affected struggle with long-term planning.
7Growth can arise from adversity.
8Positive change happens within a loving environment and a genuine devotion to ease others’ distress.
9Flourishing will take place. Love is everything.

The scale of the problem

The statistics we cannot ignore

Every year, over 2 million adults in the UK aged 16–74 experience domestic abuse.
Every three days, a woman is killed by a male.
Only 2% of rape cases are convicted.
41% of a church’s congregational members go through domestic abuse.
75% of domestic homicide victims are women.
Only one in five victims of partner abuse call the police — shame is attached.
32% of homeless women said domestic abuse contributed to their homelessness.
100,000 people are currently at risk of serious harm or murder.
There are more deaths by suicide linked to DA than homicides (Age UK).
75% of DA cases result in physical injury or adverse mental-health consequences.
Disabled women are twice as likely to experience DA — yet only one refuge in the country houses them.
375,000 reported DA incidents involved older residents aged 50+ (Age UK).
Rather than be intimidated by these statistics, let us respond in a positive way — assisting one person at a time.

A hidden harm

Honour-based abuse · Forced marriage

Abuse wrapped in the language of culture, family or reputation is still abuse. Hover or tap a question to reveal the answer.

We do acknowledge cultural differences.
Cultural practices DO NOT supersede the law.
17,000 honour-based abuse deaths per year.
One girl is killed every month.
274 million women worldwide have experienced female genital mutilation.
Supporters of HBA victims are wrongly perceived as “home wreckers”.
Support agencies and victims face multiple perpetrators at once.
Interpreters can be connected to the family — a hidden risk.
Abuse is too often disguised as culture.

The barriers to leaving

Barriers

  • Women are cast as the homemakers.
  • Homeless services are very male-orientated.
  • Risk of child removal.
  • Risk of being murdered — leaving is the highest-risk moment.

“Women and children made homeless through domestic abuse should be recognised as a unique group — fleeing crimes that take place in the home — requiring special measures and countless love.”

Illustration of a family experiencing domestic conflict

There is a chronic shortage of housing to provide refuge for women and children. Those left rough sleeping after prolonged abuse face further exploitation and harm — preventing any recovery.

Children

Recognised, at last, as victims

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 grants the status of “victim” to any child living in a household where domestic abuse is happening — with ever-increasing harm to their physical, emotional and social development, and a risk of becoming victims themselves.

“Instead of asking her why she didn’t leave her abuser sooner, tell her you are encouraged that she left when she could.” — Christy Ann Martine, author & abuse survivor

Lived experience

Real people. Real lives. Worth everything.

Children together as a family
A moment of family life
A moment of family life
A moment of family life
A moment of family life
A moment of family life

People with lived experience voice is at the heart of all we do.

Divine appointments

“Let us all step out in faith to deliver real change to those most in need — bringing hope, and assisting lives in our communities to be transformed.”

Practical safety

Support & safety apps

Hollie Guard

Turns a smartphone into a safety device — a shake or tap silently sends location and audio/video evidence to nominated contacts in real time.

Freedom Charity

Designed with the Metropolitan Police to help prevent honour-based violence and forced marriage.

Bright Sky

Free app with a directory of DA services and a secure journal to record incidents as text, video or images.

If you cannot speak

Calling 999 & the Silent Solution

  • A silent 999 call will not automatically bring help.
  • Pressing 55 after dialling 999 is part of the Silent Solution.
  • Listen and engage with call handlers — they will try many ways to find you.
  • Help is guaranteed if they can identify who and/or where you are.
Say
your
location

If you can say only one thing, please say where you are.

#AskForAngelStreet

Feel unsafe on a Stagecoach bus and can’t speak openly? Go to the driver and “Ask for Angel Street” — they will quietly help you to safety.

A quiet codeword

Ask for ANI · Ask for Angela

“ANI” — Action Needed Immediately — lets victims discreetly ask for help in participating pharmacies and Jobcentres.

0 pharmacies enrolled — including Boots, Lloyds and community pharmacies.
Ask for ANI scheme

You are not alone

What support is available?

Your local council

Council websites list housing options and local domestic-abuse services.

Search “domestic abuse”

National directories connect you to specialist help near you.

The police

Humberside Police alone took 1,000 disclosures — and they want more people to come forward.

Know your rights

Clare’s Law

Clare’s Law gives you the right to access vital information about a current or former partner’s history of abusive behaviour — through two key routes.

Right to Ask

Anyone worried about a partner’s potentially abusive past can request information from the police. This right also extends to concerned friends and family.

Right to Know

If the police uncover information suggesting someone may be at risk, they have the power to proactively share it with the person involved.

Using Clare’s Law gives people crucial insight to protect themselves and their loved ones from harm. To request information, visit the Humberside Police website. If there is an immediate risk to someone’s safety, always call 999.

People seeking shelter

Homelessness

“We must not accept that 16,000 survivors of abuse returned to the abuser — because there was nowhere for them to go.”

Someone else’s pain is our pain. Someone else’s joy is our joy too.

This has to change

The cost of turning away

0 women fleeing abuse were denied a refuge place
0 women left with nowhere to go (Apr 2022–Mar 2023)
0 a woman turned away from refuge

One woman every three days is killed by a male in this nation.

Of 27,754 women referred to refuge, only 10,824 were accepted. Source: Office for National Statistics.

The case for support

What is the need for our project?

1

Why this project is needed — nationally, locally, and the change we will make.

2

Nationally, ONS data shows that between April 2022 and March 2023, over 60% of women seeking refuge were turned away due to capacity issues.

3

Locally, the East Riding & Humber Domestic Abuse Partnership Strategy (2021–2024) identified 24,690 adults and 18,468 children as victims of DA, with insufficient specialist support.

4

Our project will provide secure, safe housing for women at risk of homelessness, and offer trauma-informed support to rebuild confidence, mental health and independence.

5

By addressing these urgent needs, we will empower people with lived experience of domestic abuse to build safe, independent futures free from abuse.

Rebuilding joy

Days out & moments of light

Recovery is also about rediscovering delight. With support, survivors enjoy:

DIY courses Hair & nail appointments Lamb feeding Alpaca farm visits Horse riding Seaside days

With your funding

A Community Hub, open 5 days a week

✦ Recovery support workshops
✦ Health & wellbeing activities
✦ Days out
✦ Pamper days
✦ Cinema days
✦ Healthy-relationship workshops
✦ Working towards housing
✦ A safe, warm place to belong

No one left behind

Disability, isolation & abuse

Almost two-thirds of disabled people in the UK are chronically lonely. As the cost of specialist activities rises and support falls away, it is easy to lose confidence and feel excluded.

There is only one refuge in our nation that houses disabled survivors of domestic abuse. Help us change this.

Together

What can we do, collectively?

  • Go the extra mile — it is not crowded there.
  • Be part of the change. It is doable.
  • Children are affected. The abuser will abuse family members too. Be observant.
  • It is everyone’s responsibility to identify abuse — not just the police.

“When I attempted suicide through the abuse, the nurse knew I was being controlled — but there was no follow-up.” Every encounter is a chance to step in.

The words that changed me from victim to survivor

“All you’ve done is love the wrong person. Survivors of abuse are very strong and loving people, who keep forgiving.”

What sentence can you offer to someone who is in abuse, or recovering from it?

“Whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” — Proverbs 11:25

Abide in faith, hope and love. The greatest of these is love.

A private faith that does not act in the face of oppression is no faith at all.

Matthew Henry · 1662–1714 · British minister & author, Chester

We need your help

Be part of the change

Volunteer

Give your time and skills to support survivors directly.

Become a trustee

Help guide and govern the charity’s mission.

Fundraise

Every pound opens a door that abuse tried to close.

Awareness sessions

Could your business host a domestic-abuse awareness session?

Shop and give for free

easyfundraising partners with over 7,000 brands who donate part of what you spend to a cause of your choice — at no extra cost to you. The cost is covered by the brand.

When you start your shop from the easyfundraising website or app, the brand pays them a commission — which is turned into a donation for us.

All you need to do is register at easyfundraising.org.uk and select The Lampstand Group.

Don’t turn away.

Abide in faith, hope and love. Be the lamp on the stand.

Donate Volunteer Get in touch

In danger now, call 999 · National Domestic Abuse Helpline 0808 2000 247 (free, 24h)