Victim Support launches lockdown fundraising campaign.
Share your lunch this lockdown and help a victim of domestic abuse.

ISLE OF MAN – Victim Support Isle of Man is encouraging people to share their lunch costs during lockdown in order to fundraise for the charity, during what is an incredibly busy period.

Following the 2020 lockdown, Victim Support saw a sharp upsurge in referrals and contacts with increased pressure on its services. The charity expects the current lockdown to follow the same trend.

When reviewing referral and contact figures, Victim Support forecasts a 5% rise in all referrals and 25% increase in all contacts. Specifically, for domestic violence, it is anticipated that the most recent lockdown will see a 7% increase in domestic abuse referrals.

The direct cost to the charity, which relies heavily on fundraising, grants, and donations, is approximately just shy of £13,500.

Kerry Gascoyne, Fundraising Officer of Victim Support, comments: “We appreciate that for some people, lockdown is difficult financially. If you are currently able to work from home and not attending your favourite lunch spot, we are encouraging the public to support our vital charity. This will make a massive impact as we continue to support victims throughout the lockdown period and beyond”.

It is reported that the average person spends £5.26 eating out each day during their lunch break. That is over £25 a week! (source: https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/category-reports/business-lunch-of-the-future-adult-lunchbox-category-report-2020/646011.article)

Jenny Grainger, Chair of Victim Support Isle of Man, adds: “Lockdown not only increases pressure on the welfare team, who are working incredibly hard to service our clients, but it also makes it harder to fundraise, with events cancelled or postponed. We have to approach things differently, and we hope our campaign will grow in strength during the lockdown period. If roughly 2550 people donated just 1 of their lunches or 510 people donated a week’s worth of lunches, we’d hit our target of £13,500. It goes without saying, that we appreciate any support from them right now.”

Victim Support needs to raise over £90,000 yearly to maintain its services. To donate visit the dedicated Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/victim-support7.

Follow Victim Support on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn for fundraising updates.

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