Charity supporting thousands of victims and survivors appeals for help to find new base in Manchester city centre

A charity supporting thousands of victims and survivors of sexual abuse has appealed for help to find a new base in Manchester where they can operate for free.

Maggie Oliver, the detective who resigned from Greater Manchester Police and went public over the Rochdale grooming inquiry, hopes to open the first centre dedicated to girls and women who are victims of sexual violence and exploitation.

Maggie launched her foundation, a registered charity, two years ago and their listening ear phoneline marks its first anniversary this week. 
 

Read more: The Maggie Oliver Foundation needs your support to launch a UK-wide phoneline for survivorsPublished: 05 November 2020

She began the initiative to help those who had been victims of grooming gangs, and in early 2020 opened a pilot drop-in centre in Rochdale where survivors of childhood sexual abuse could come and meet up each week. This unfortunately was forced to close due to Covid.

However, their work continued online and has gone from strength-to-strength with the foundation now supporting many survivors from Rochdale, as well as throughout the UK.

In the past year alone, the charity has supported over 2,500 survivors of abuse from across the UK. Demand is growing at such a rate that it is now appealing for help to build a base in Manchester city centre.

Maggie said: “We have come a long way, and we now have a team of more than 30 volunteers, three members of staff – soon to be five – and have helped well over 2,500 survivors of abuse.

“We are trying to put pressure on police forces and authorities to treat victims better and ensure they are being heard and not fobbed off.

“We have been doing everything remotely through Zoom, we are all working from our own homes but we have got to the point where we desperately need a base, an office in Manchester we could work from for six to 12 months for free.

“I’m hoping and praying that somebody will help us out.”

The Maggie Oliver Foundation aims to help survivors transform the pain of their abuse into power by providing a legal advocacy service for victims who report crimes to the police, and also gives emotional support with positive coping strategies and increased self-confidence.

Women and girls using the foundation are helped to access other services and the foundation works towards advocating for survivors’ rights at local and national levels by raising awareness of failings by police, the legal system and government to improve practices in the future.

One survivor said: “The support has been truly life-changing. I feel listened to, heard, understood with unconditional positive regard.

“It’s enabled me to believe in myself, and that I am a good, worthy person who has a lot to offer in the future, and that’s a powerful gift to be given.”

Maggie added: “I would ask anybody who has got a spare room in an office in Manchester to consider helping us. We don't need anything fancy, but it can’t be open plan because of the nature of some of the conversations we have. Even two days a week would be great so we have a place we could call home.

“We really are changing lives. If someone has a room sat there, in the city centre of Manchester, that we can make our own for six months or maybe a year, we will take whatever is offered.”

Anyone who could help is asked to make contact with the Maggie Oliver Foundation by emailing  jennie@themaggieoliverfoundation.com