A message from Ruth Edwards MP
In March, I was delighted to hold the first in-person “J9: Safer Spaces” training session in St Peter’s Rooms in Ruddington. J9 is an initiative which trains people to recognise signs of domestic abuse and to connect survivors with local professional services that can help.
Once someone has been trained, they can display the “J9 Heart” at their place of work, signalling to survivors that they’re a safe space where they can access vital life-saving resources, such as the use of a telephone and a place to make that call.
I’m working with Nicola Brindley, who leads the J9 initiative in Nottinghamshire, to deliver this training to communities throughout Rushcliffe. Our aim is to create a network of safe spaces in every village in Rushcliffe, where survivors will feel supported and confident in asking for help.
Training is free and open to anyone who works in a public-facing organisation. This could be a shop, pub, library, Parish Council, school; anywhere that people might go from day to day. I want to thank everyone in Ruddington who came to the training in March and signed up to be a safe space. It really does go a long way in helping some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.
If you missed the last session, we’ll be holding our next training session in West Bridgford. For more information and to sign up, please visit my website, www.ruthedwards.org.uk or my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/RuthEdwardsforRushcliffe.
Ruth Edwards, MP