A WEST Cumbrian charity is celebrating 25 years of helping people this year- after it's birth in which the three founders sat around a kitchen table with a hope for change.

West Cumbria Domestic Violence Support (known locally as the Freedom Project) began in 1997, when it's three founder members Carole Launder, Shirley Fawcett and Susan James recognised a need for change to support domestic violence victims in the area.

This year the charity will be running a number of events to mark the quarter of a decade anniversary.

Talking about the charities birth, Project Manager at the Freedom Project, Vicky Pike said:"Domestic abuse wasn’t as talked about back then than it is today and it was very much a family secret or was brushed off as ‘a domestic’.

"There was very little support for victims. Carole began counselling victims/survivors from her spare room at home."

25 years in the charity have a team of paid staff, counsellors/ therapists, volunteers and trustees and have supported over 15,000 people from Cumbria.

On average, they currently support over 500 people a year and can only do this via grants and donations. 

Talking about how the charity has grown, Vicky said: "The need grew and grew over the years which led us to increase our scope to work with perpetrators in 2008 and Children and Young people in 2012.

"Today, we provide a free, holistic, family-based approach, working with victims, perpetrators and children suffering from trauma and effects of domestic and sexual abuse.

"We provide emotional support, practical support, 1-1 counselling and group work with the ultimate aim of trying to break the cycle of abuse an helping people recover and move on with their lives. 

"We are currently working with a large waiting list so the need for help and support is continuing to grow.

"Funding is becoming more increasingly hard to obtain, but we have navigated our way through 25 years and are 100% committed to being here for as long as we are needed and families in our local community need help."

During this year the charity will be running a #25daysoffundraising campaign- to find out more you can visit their facebook page, or maka abirthday donation here.