A REFUGE for domestic violence victims is to be created and bosses hope it will become a beacon project for towns across the country.

Blackburn, Darwen and District Women's Aid has secured up to £250,000 in funding to build the new purpose built complex of five, two-bedroomed flats.

It will also include a block for support workers and communal areas, including a children's play area.

The project, funded by Blackburn with Darwen Council and New Leaf, the charity arm of the North British Housing group, will replace the current refuge which support workers say is no longer good enough to meet the needs of residents.

Building workis expected to finish around October.

Director of the Women's Information and Self Help (WISH) Centre in Blackburn Linda Thompson said: "The refuge will allow women and their children to remain empowered, as they will have the privacy they all desired.

"This will give family time to heal, grow, and recover from their traumatic experience of domestic violence.

"The support block will be used to run confidence and self-help groups. There will be homework rooms for children and small quiet rooms for women to receive therapeutic counselling.

"It will also house the workers' office and possible sleeping quarters for out-of-hours staff, enabling us to offer 24-hour access to refuge accommodation.

"A large communal area consisting of lounge and kitchen will allow everyone the chance to join in parenting skills groups or just socialise."

She said one example where the old refuge did not meet requirements was the difficulty Asian women had finding somewhere private to pray.

While enough funding has been secured to pay for the building work, the WISH workers now need a lot of help from the local business community and charitable organisations to furnish the new centre.

The launch of the appeal coincides with a week-long campaign Hitting Home, run by the BBC, to raise awareness about issues involved in domestic violence and where victims can go for help.

While WISH workers try to secure funding for furniture, office, equipment and other things needed for the new refuge, anything they can get donated will mean more money can be spent on providing vital services.

Linda said: "We're looking for a whole range of new items and would be extremely grateful to anyone who can help.

"We need everything from office furniture, beds, bedding, children's toys, kettles, toasters, pots and pans, garden furniture and computer equipment. If any firm is about to have their system upgraded and has old hardware they can donate we would be happy to take it.

"We hope the project will become recognised for its high standards and beacon status, showing a way forward for the future."

Another crucial part of the appeal is the need for storage space. The lack of it already creates a problem for WISH workers and when the donations for the new centre start coming in they desperately need somewhere to store it.

Any firm, individual, or organisation wanting to help WISH by either donating money, goods or storage space should contact the Blackburn WISH Centre on 01254 55111.

OPINION: PAGE 6

STAT PANEL

- One in four women will experience domestic violence at some stage in their lives.

- Between April 2001 and March 2002 Lancashire Police logged 22,620 incidents of domestic violence -- one every 12 minutes.

- Police in Blackburn with Darwen attended 2,445 incidents of domestic violence in 2001/2

- In 2001/2 the WISH Centre's refuge in Blackburn accommodated 31 women and 50 children.

- The WISH drop-in centre was visited by 2,667 women and the helpline answered 679 calls.

- Statistics show before a woman goes to a refuge, she will have experienced an average of 37 assaults.

Speedy help from the lawyers

A LEGAL unit has been set up by an East Lancashire law firm to help victims of domestic violence.

Ramsbottom and Co have created the unit so people suffering do not have to wait for appointments, consultations or protection by the law.

The new service means lawyers are able to see a victim and have a court injunction in place within two hours.

Solicitor Rachel Horman said: "It's often a 'drop everything and run' scenario. The unit means we can offer complete protection and advice almost instantly, and are able to see the client at our offices or at home.

"In most cases, time is of the essence. Now we can move quickly to provide protection, help and where necessary offer refuge accommodation."

Statistics show that a victim will suffer more than 30 separate assaults before asking for help.

Ms Horman said that victims were often very nervous about going to see a solicitor to talk about issues which they had tried to bury at the back of their minds for years as the only way of coping.

She said: "It's not simply the legal provisions which concern us. We are able to offer emotional support and counselling through Women's Aid and other agencies in Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn, Burnley, Rossendale and the Ribble Valley."