As part of the ‘Stop Domestic and Family Violence’ campaign, we are raising money in aid of our chosen charity, Refuge.

Refuge is the country’s largest single provider of specialist support services for those who have experienced gender-based violence (domestic abuse, sexual violence, forced marriage, ‘honour’-based abuse, stalking, trafficking, exploitation, female genital mutilation and modern slavery). Refuge supports thousands of women and their children every day, through emergency accommodation, community services, and the National Domestic Abuse Helpline, which Refuge runs, and which is the gateway to support services across the country.

As strong advocates for non-violence and anti-bullying, aligning with and supporting Refuge was a logical choice for GKR Karate.

By instilling the core values of courtesy and respect towards others, pursuing the highest standards of personal character, and refraining from reckless or violent behaviour in class, we believe our ‘Stop Domestic and Family Violence’ campaign is a further step towards building a community that supports those in need.

All donations raised will ensure Refuge’s most urgent operational needs are funded and that they can continue to support every woman and their children in urgent need of their help. Whether that’s by keeping their helpline open, running a refuge or ensuring a young person is able to speak to one their youth advocates who can support them at the point of crisis and work to increase their long-term safety. Some examples of how your donations help Refuge include:

£5 could buy a new children's book for a refuge

£10 could help us provide children's essentials like toothpaste and Calpol staying in a refuge

£15 Children who have to flee domestic abuse often have to leave all their toys behind. Your donation could help give them new toys and games, to replace the ones they’ve lost

£17.60 could cover the cost for one of Refuge’s expert team from the helpline to respond to a contact from a woman fleeing abuse

£25 could provide emotional and practical support to a woman and her children who have experienced domestic abuse

£52 could provide a women and her children a safe night’s stay in a refuge

£80 could cover transport costs associated with moving when a woman/family moves from a refuge and into their own home

£185 could help fund the running of the Helpline for an hour, providing life-saving information to women who wish to flee

£300 could fund a volunteer to take part in Helpline induction training and three weeks of practice shifts

£500 could run a refuge for one day

£1,000 could provide 40 emergency parcels for a woman and her children arriving at one of our refuges

£3,500 could run a refuge for a week