Stroud District Council in partnership with local charity Stroud Beresford Group has been awarded £94,225 of national government funding to help victims of domestic abuse.

Stroud Beresford Group runs Stroud Women's Refuge, offering accommodation, advice and support to women and their children affected by domestic abuse.

The funding will enable Stroud Beresford Group to support more marginalised and at-risk families in both the refuge and the wider community, in particular increasing the safety of families at risk of abuse, reducing the risk of harm they face and supporting families to get the help that they need.

Cllr Doina Cornell, leader of Stroud District Council said:

"It's a shocking statistic that domestic abuse affects one in four women and one in six men throughout their lifetime. We're pleased that the full funding we applied for was granted and we fully support them in their vital work to support families throughout the district."

Jill Cooper, Manager of Stroud Women's Refuge added:

"We receive lots of calls from women who are marginalised, vulnerable and are fearful for their safety and the safety of their children. We are delighted to receive funding to help us to provide the support that families need. We will continue to work with a range of local partners and are grateful for the support from the Government, the district council and the wider local partnership who supported this application."

• Domestic Abuse affects 1 in 4 women throughout their lifetime

• Women are much more likely than men to be victims of high risk or severe domestic abuse

• Marginalised and vulnerable women are amongst those most at risk of harm

• Two women a week are killed by a partner or ex-partner

• 20% of children in the UK have lived with an adult perpetrating domestic abuse.

• 62% of children living with domestic abuse are directly harmed by the perpetrator

• The Council of Europe recommend that there is one refuge space per 10,000 population. This means that there should be 60 bed spaces across the county. At the current time Stroud Beresford can accommodate up to 9 families.

The funding was part of a £19million fund made available in July by the Government for local authorities working in partnership with service providers and was awarded just before the national `16 Days of Action Against Domestic Violence' - a national campaign to highlight how organisations can provide support to employees to endure domestic violence.

More information about Stroud Beresford Group can be found at www.stroudwomensrefuge.org/