Charities honoured at High Sheriff awards

The work of four charities has been praised in a county's annual High Sheriff awards.

Restore Women's Aid, The Nest Farms, Headway Suffolk and Ipswich Outreach were presented with trophies by High Sheriff Yvonne Gilchrist-Mason, at the Apex in Bury St Edmunds.

She said: "I'm incredibly proud - what wonderful work these fabulous people do, and aren't we lucky to have them."

The event was also a celebration of 20 years of the Suffolk Community Foundation.

Restore Women's Aid, formerly known as the Bury St Edmunds Women's Aid Centre, was started in 1974 to provide safety and support for women and children experiencing domestic abuse.

Principal operations manager, Katherine Ahluwalia, said: "Lots of people don't know about domestic abuse services until they need them.

"But the fact is in Suffolk, it affects one in three women, and one in six men in their lifetime.

"In this country at the moment, every week two women are killed by a partner or former partner and three women are taking their own lives because of domestic abuse.

"So, as it is said by the National Police Chiefs, it is a national epidemic.

"So the more that communities know about it, the more that people can signpost their friends, their families, their colleagues, their loved ones to services."

Hannah Tuckwell started The Nest Farms, near Framlingham, two years ago with a focus on young people's mental health.

She said: "When I first told people that I was going to stop being a professional sailor and start up a mental health charity, there are a lot of people that didn't think there was a need in Suffolk for such an organisation.

"But I hope today goes to show that we are here and we mean business.

"We are here to help as many people, not just in our local area, but across the whole of East Anglia in the coming years."

Headway Suffolk supports people who have had a brain injury through traumatic accident, stroke, virus, tumour, neurological condition or other similar event.

Chief executive Helen Fairweather spoke about the importance of partnership working.

She said: "Headway demonstrated that with the Brainy Dog dog scheme [to train assistance dogs].

"We worked with the Blue Cross animal charity, Hollesley Bay Prison and Headway - who would have ever thought a partnership like that would work, but it did.

"And it won a national award. Working together is the only way we are going to survive."

Ipswich Outreach runs services to support homeless and vulnerable people in Ipswich, including a nightly free meal - the soup kitchen - delivered via their outreach bus.

Charity founder Ian Walters said: "A lot of the organisations haven't come back after Covid.

"They'd lost so many staff and we're not getting the support that we used to get.

"I think a lot of that is down to money - and that's what we need to be able to get these organisations back out on the streets again, money and resources."

The Suffolk Community Foundation is a grant making organisation, bringing together philanthropists, private trusts, local businesses and the public sector with local charities.

They support the role of High Sheriff - a ceremonial position that changes annually.

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