Tony Lloyd launches new project for Rochdale Connections Trust

MPs Tony Lloyd and Liz McInnes with Nicola (centre) and members of Rochdale Connections Trust

Rochdale Connections Trust had a new project launched by Rochdale MP Tony Lloyd at their premises on Drake Street on Thursday (27 July).

The team has secured funding from BBC Children in Need, allowing them to expand the work done to help children and young people who have been affected by domestic abuse.

Speaking at the launch, Mr Lloyd said: “The sad thing is it’s not atypical. It’s got to be challenged and stereotypes have got to be challenged too. It’s not just physical but mental too. These women [speaking about their experiences] are very brave and there is lessons there for all.

“Sadly, I have met lots of victims who have had their lives shattered and we need to say we are not prepared to accept this anymore - but today we are here on a happy note. Breaking free of those shackles allows people to build a better future and break the cycle of abuse before it becomes the norm.”

Two brave women, Nicola and a woman who did not wish to be identified, recounted their experiences of domestic abuse.

Nicola, a mother, spoke about how the programme has helped turn her children’s lives around.

She said: “My sixteen-year-old was so reclusive and now she has friends. She’s a completely different child. She now gets to be normal.

“My son was very moody. It’s given him a sense of freedom after he recently went to the Norden Carnival.

"My six-year-old recently had a first sleepover last week, which has been fantastic.

“They have realised there is a whole world out there and they have had their lives turned around.”

The woman who did not wish to be identified detailed her experience in two abusive relationships, one of which has resulted in a court case.

She said: “The first made me out to be a bad wife and mother. He had a secret life. I thought I had moved on to better horizons, but it got a lot worse.

“He tried to control me and I was in a mentally abusive relationship. He assaulted my little girl, which resulted in a criminal case and was sentenced earlier this week. It is a big weight off my shoulders and I hope the programme can help us move forward.”

Joining Mr Lloyd was MP for Heywood and Middleton, Liz McInnes, who commended the brave women for sharing their experiences with domestic abuse.

She added she was ‘fully behind’ the initiative, supporting Mr Lloyd.

Established in 1997, Rochdale Connections Trust is an independent voluntary organisation offering a lifeline to young people, adults and families who are finding life difficult in some way. A range of services is provided by fully trained staff and volunteers, including young people mentoring, female and male ‘Freedom Programmes’, literacy and numeracy courses and parenting courses, to name but a few. The trust also works with other local services.

To conclude the launch, a number of certificates were awarded to volunteers by the MPs for literacy qualifications, parenting and the Freedom Programme.