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Service Tag: The Big Give

Double Your Donation Today

Abuse Can Change Everything in an Instant.
Your Support Can Change Everything After That.

From 6th October until 12pm on 13th October, every donation to First Light’s Crisis Fund will be doubled through the Big Give Women and Girls Match Fund.

That means your gift could have twice the impact for women and girls affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence.

When Everything Changes Overnight

Abuse can turn someone’s world upside down in a moment.

Someone fleeing domestic abuse may leave there home with nothing but the clothes she is wearing. A survivor of sexual violence may find that essential belongings, including clothing or a mobile phone, are taken as part of a police investigation. Others may struggle to afford the travel costs needed to reach counselling, medical appointments, support services or court hearings.

At a time when everything feels uncertain, practical support can make all the difference.

Every day, First Light supports people through our Domestic Abuse Services, Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (ISVA) services and specialist therapy programmes. While statutory funding helps us deliver these vital services, it does not always cover the emergency items survivors need during a crisis.

That’s why our Crisis Fund exists.

👉 Donate today: https://donate.biggive.org/donate/a05WS00000FcBEjYAN

Providing Support When No Other Funding Is Available

The Crisis Fund helps us respond to urgent needs that can become barriers to safety, recovery and independence.

Donations help provide practical support such as:

  • Emergency transport to a place of safety
  • Temporary accommodation during a crisis
  • Clothing, toiletries and essential care packs
  • Mobile phones, SIM cards and emergency phone credit
  • Travel costs to therapy, counselling, medical appointments and court hearings
  • Emergency financial support when no other funding is available

They are often the practical lifelines that help someone stay safe, access support and take the next step towards recovery.

👉 Donate today: https://donate.biggive.org/donate/a05WS00000FcBEjYAN

Small Things That Make a Big Difference

For someone in crisis, a train ticket to a counselling appointment can mean they continue receiving support.

A mobile phone can help them stay connected to an ISVA or support worker.

Emergency clothing and toiletries can provide dignity after an incredibly difficult experience.

The Crisis Fund helps remove practical barriers that survivors should never have to face alone.

Make Twice the Difference

For one week only, every donation made through the Women and Girls Match Fund will be doubled.

  • £25 becomes £50
  • £50 becomes £100
  • £100 becomes £200

Your donation will help ensure that when survivors need support most, help is available.

👉 Donate today: https://donate.biggive.org/donate/a05WS00000FcBEjYAN

Thank You

We are incredibly grateful to Big Give and the Women and Girls Match Fund for making this campaign possible.

Their support means every donation made before 12pm on 13th October will be matched pound for pound, helping us reach and support even more women and girls affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence.

We would also like to thank everyone who chooses to donate.

Your generosity helps provide the practical support that statutory funding cannot always cover. Because of supporters like you, survivors can access essential items, attend vital appointments, remain connected to specialist services and continue their journey towards safety and recovery.

Together, we can be there during some of the most challenging moments in a person’s life.

Help Us Be There When It Matters Most

Match funding is available for a limited time, but the need for support continues every day.

If you can, please donate before 12pm on 13th October and make your gift go twice as far.

Every donation matters. Every pound helps. Every gift will be doubled.

👉 Donate today: https://donate.biggive.org/donate/a05WS00000FcBEjYAN

Abuse can change everything in an instant. Your support can change everything after that.

First Light accepted into the Big Give Women and Girls Match Fund

First Light is delighted to have been accepted into this year’s Big Give Women and Girls Match Fund, giving supporters the chance to help us raise vital funds for local Survivor Crisis Funds.

Why this matters

Through the campaign, we aim to raise £7,000 in donations. Every eligible donation will then be matched through The Big Give, helping us reach a total of £14,000 for local Survivor Crisis Funds across the counties we work in.

The campaign will run from 12pm on 6th October to 12pm on 13th October, giving supporters one week to donate and have their eligible donation matched through The Big Give.

The funds will provide practical, immediate support for people affected by sexual violence, domestic abuse and church-related abuse, helping First Light respond to urgent needs that traditional funding often cannot cover.

For many people, the barriers to safety and recovery are practical as well as emotional. A lack of phone credit, money for transport, food, clothing or personal safety items can prevent someone from accessing support, attending appointments or taking important steps towards safety.

The Crisis Funds will help provide:

  • Personal safety devices and alarms
  • Emergency travel costs
  • Mobile phone credit and data
  • Food and essential household items
  • Clothing and toiletries
  • Emergency accommodation-related costs
  • Other urgent practical support tailored to an individual’s circumstances

These are often relatively small costs, but they can have a significant impact on someone’s ability to access support, increase their safety and move forward with their recovery.

 

How your support can help

By supporting this campaign, donors can help create flexible local funds that First Light staff can use quickly and safely when someone faces an urgent practical challenge.

Our ambition is to build support for a Crisis Fund in each county we work in, ensuring that people can receive practical help at the point they need it most.

The Big Give Women and Girls Match Fund is a powerful opportunity to make every donation go further and increase the support available to people who rely on First Light’s services.

This year’s campaign builds on First Light’s previous Big Give activity, while taking a wider approach across the counties we work in.

Previous Big Give campaigns helped raise £10,000 for Cornwall Domestic Abuse Service and just over £3,000 for services in Swindon and Wiltshire.

This year, our goal is to raise £7,000 in donations, which will be doubled by The Big Give to create a total of £14,000.

We know from our work every day that practical support can make the difference between someone remaining in crisis and someone being able to take the next step towards safety and recovery.

More details about the campaign and how to donate will be shared soon. Please look out for updates ahead of 6 October and help us spread the word when the campaign goes live.

 

Looking ahead: upcoming campaigns and projects

Supporting students during Freshers’ season

Throughout September, First Light will be attending Freshers’ events across the counties we work in, sharing information and resources with students. We will also be exploring opportunities to support student-led Students Against Abuse societies and networks over the next 12 months.

Domestic Abuse Awareness Month: It Didn’t Start Like This

Launching in October, First Light’s Domestic Abuse Awareness Month campaign, It Didn’t Start Like This, will focus on helping people recognise the early signs of abuse and understand how harmful behaviours can escalate over time. We will be inviting communities, organisations and supporters to get involved and help spread the message.

Reclaim the Net: 16 Days of Action

First Light’s 16 Days of Action Against Violence Against Women and Girls campaign will focus on online abuse this year. Through events, awareness raising and a 16-day digital protest, the campaign will explore the experiences of women and girls online and advocate for safer digital spaces.

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