Supporting Families Recovering from Domestic Abuse
Domestic Abuse Recovery
Stepping away from abuse is an important milestone for families. Healing takes time and support is essential along the way. Families need time and space to begin recovering, emotionally, physically, and practically. Family Holiday Charity gives families the break they need to start to take their next steps towards recovery.
The Journey After Domestic Abuse
Sadly, domestic abuse remains one of the top three reasons why a family are referred to us for time away.
For those living in an abusive marriage, the opportunity to have time away together as a family and feel safe and happy, very often isn’t possible. It can put them under constant stress, fear, and control, and can take a huge toll emotionally, physically, and financially.
For a long time, especially during my marriage, life had felt confined - and when you’re stuck in the same place, it can start to feel like a blur, and hope begins to fade.
Creating Safe Spaces for Healing
Each break is created with care, offering a calm, welcoming space where families can relax without fear.
Lana is a survivor of domestic abuse. What her family experienced together during their trip to the North York Moors was far more than a break. It was breathing space after a long period of survival. A chance to experience something that had once felt completely out of reach.
Receiving the call with the offer of a holiday felt like being thrown a rope while I was drifting in a dark, cold sea.
Lana said that their time away "gave me hope that I would have the chance to breathe, to feel human again, and to show my children that they deserve joy and new experiences too. And show them that mummy can actually smile and have fun with them. Until then, all they had seen was the face of someone completely depleted."
It felt as though life itself was saying, “Please don’t give up.” Even now, it’s hard to write this without tears - tears of deep gratitude for everyone who made this happen.