If you can be anything, be kind
Love Grace - the handbag appeal was set up by Grace’s family and friends as a legacy in Grace Millane’s name, to help women that have been affected by domestic violence.
Since Grace’s death, we have been raising money for the White Ribbon charities here in the UK and in New Zealand. The charities educate at a grassroots level and raise awareness of male violence towards women. We wanted to continue this legacy by providing practical support for women in need.
After seeing a social media post about filling a handbag to give to a homeless woman, we decided on a similar idea. We worked with our local women’s refuge Changing Pathways, to create a list of items that would be suitable for their clients. We set off with an initial target of 50 bags, but this has since been surpassed via people’s generosity and offers of help. We have run appeals throughout the UK, New Zealand, USA, Canada and Singapore, this has resulted in over 7000 women receiving a Love Grace handbag.
We have been overwhelmed by people’s support and were honoured to receive the Prime Minister’s Point of Light Award. Support like this allows us to offer a small gift to more women and encourage them to believe in themselves as they matter.
Getting help
Anyone forced to change their behaviour because they are frightened of their partner or ex-partner’s reaction is experiencing abuse.
Domestic abuse can happen to anyone, regardless of age, background, gender, religion, sexuality or ethnicity. However, statistics show most domestic abuse is carried out by men and experienced by women.
Domestic abuse is never the fault of the person who is experiencing it.
Domestic abuse is a crime.
