SO …WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE MONEY AND HOW DOES IT HELP?
The Trustees of Friends of the Ferns are always available to consider requests for many varied items/services for The Ferns and their clients. All it takes is an email from The Ferns and they swing into action to consider the request, and approve where ever possible.
Apart from the large projects, such as the distraction unit and, furnishing and stocking the childrens’ lounge, there are many, relatively, small items that make a huge difference to the clients that pass through the SARC.
Of course, the funding of Critical Incident Debriefing is high on our priority list, but other items include:

BED/MATTRESS: Where a rape or assault has occurred in a victims own bedroom he/she will often resort to sleeping on he sofa or floor because the bed triggers memories of the attack and may also be soiled

SHOES/CLOTHING: Often impounded by the police for forensic evidence but may also be damaged during an assault

WELLBEING JOURNALS: Writing down feelings, help clients who are having difficulty with anxiety/stress management and any other mental health needs that may benefit from mindfulness related exercises

WASHING MACHINE: Some clients leave their home following an assault, and even flee the area because the suspect lives there. They very often end up in supported accommodation to start with; then when they go back to independent living they have to start from scratch.

COFFEE SHOP CARDS: Are provided for the ISVAs, so they can meet with their clients on neutral ground, and buy a cup of coffee for them whilst they chat. It means that the ISVAs do not have to pay for it out of their own pocket.

We have also helped by funding, amongst other items: ART MATERIALS : WORRY BAGS : PLAYGROUP TIME

Here are some comments from recipients:

The bed has made a huge difference and to both my emotional and physical health. When I am able to work again I will be able to pay the funding back to be able to help others in need.”

Thank you so much for your help. You will never know how much this means to me and my family. I wish there was a way to repay you.

I record the positive days in my Wellbeing Journal and on bad days I can go back over the good things.

The High Sheriff of Suffolk, George Vestey, visited The Ferns in February for a tour of the facility. After an extensive chat with Karin Norman-Butler, Mr Vestey made the journey through the children’s section of the SARC, guided by Carol Studd, who explained the process through which clients travelled.
The Friends of the Ferns was nominated, and on the shortlist, for the High Sheriff’s Award in the category of Suffolk Voluntary Organisation of the Year. Although they did not win, they received a special certificate in recognition of their vital work in Suffolk’s voluntary sector – Suffolk Rebuilding Broken Lives Category. 

George Vestey photographed with Carol Studd and Karin Norman-Butler

This year has been a busy one with, sadly, increased referrals. Funding for crisis counsellors is high on our list of priorities; victims of sexual assault often need immediate, specialist counselling and this takes the form of Critical Incident Debriefing which is frequently not covered by statutory funding. Just one or two sessions are vital to start to help the healing process after an assault. Although public awareness of these issues is gradually being raised by high profile prosecutions and TV dramas such as Broadchurch and Appletree Yard there is still much work to be done.
You may have heard me talk before about the two books we have written in conjunction with Fresh Start/new beginnings. I am delighted to say that these are now published and are in all Suffolk Schools
Today Diana Porter, from Fresh Start/new beginnings, and I met with Nick Hume, Chief Executive for Suffolk and Norfolk NH Trust Hospitals, to ask him how we can get these books into every hospital, Doctors surgery, medical centre – indeed any medical centre in the County. He had some interesting ideas which we will now follow up on.
We were lucky enough to be the main beneficiaries of The Stratford Hills Horse Trials held at Stratford St. Mary on 16th and 17th June last summer. This was a wonderful opportunity to spread the word and to get our cause across to a lot of different people. We later received a very generous cheque from them, for which we are so grateful.
The High Sheriff of Suffolk Mr George Vestey has requested a private visit and that is due to take place shortly. We are thankful for that continued support and interest.
My grateful thanks are to my fellow Trustees who work tirelessly to raise awareness and funds to improve the lives of our clients.
And especial thanks to the unstinting work that Carol, and her team, do at The Ferns with such dedication, humility, integrity and kindness. Thank you

Karin Norman-Butler – Chairman

The two books which Friends of the Ferns have been working on, in conjunction with the Suffolk Charity “Fresh Start-new beginnings” (https://www.fsnb.org.uk), have now been collected from the printers and are in the process of being distributed to schools, doctor’s surgeries and medical centres.

Entitled “It’s time to tell” and “It’s OK to Tell”, they are to help adults talk to young people about abuse, explaining what abuse is and detailing the journey a child will make through the process of reporting.

If there is a location that you think would benefit from one or both of these books please contact contact@theferns-suffolk.org.uk

A crew of intrepid sailors, captained by Rachel, the daughter of one of our Trustees, Rosie Carter, donned their life jackets to take part in the 16th Annual Needham Market Raft Race on 24th June 2018 to raise money for FotF.

Their vessel, The Tarman, was one of 14 designed and built by teams on the day.
Thousands of spectators attended to soak up the atmosphere and cheer as the teams battled it out over a challenging circuit.

Congratulation to Team Tarman for a spectacular effort.

The Friends of the Ferns were delighted to be chosen as the main beneficiaries of charitable funds raised from the Stratford Hills Horse Trials held in June 2018.

The event, which took place at Hills Farm, Stratford St Mary, Colchester was a hive of activity with participants, along with their support teams, enjoying the lovely sunny weather the weekend had to offer. The Organising Committee of the event were supported by an army of volunteers and hidden away in a caravan was our very own Chairperson, Karin, who was an official scorer and kept very busy indeed.

Once the dust had settled, Friends of the Ferns benefited from a substantial amount, with a note from the Organising Committee saying that it was the best local charity they had ever supported.

Our grateful thanks go to everyone connected to this event. These funds will make a huge difference to our support of The Ferns and their clients.

The Friends of the Ferns are thrilled to be the main beneficiary of funds raised at the 2018 Stratford Hills Horse Trials (SHHT), which takes place on 16th and 17th June.

The event is affiliated to British Eventing and hosted, by kind permission of Mr and Mrs Ivan Lockett, at Stratford Hills Cross Country and Livery, Hills Farm in Stratford St Mary near the historic town of Colchester in Essex.   SHHT is now in its 13th year and, in the past, has raised money for many local charities, including Marie Curie Suffolk and Essex Nurses Fund, The Porch Project, Success after Stroke and Teenage Cancer Trust.

Supporters of Friends of the Ferns are encouraged to go along and join in the fun.

On Sunday, 25th June 2017, 21 intrepid supporters took part in the Orwell Walk to raise funds for Friends of the Ferns. The 21 included 5 from Dr David Chittick’s surgery, 6 retired police officers, including 2 retired Chief Constables from Suffolk, and 3 Trustees of Friends of the Ferns. Wearing tee shirts displaying the Friends of the Ferns logo, 8 walked the 12 mile course and 13 tackled the 19 mile course. The aim was to raise £2,000 but everyone’s effort was rewarded with over £3,000 being raised.

A huge THANK YOU to everyone for taking part in this walk for the benefit of Friends of the Ferns, and particularly to Paul Marshall who, not only walked 19 miles, but also organised the walkers on our behalf.

This is the team:

Rachel Andrews, Lorraine Ash, Simon Ash, Jamie Baker, Susan Browne, Maddie Byford, Terry Byford, Alan Caton, Julie Caton, Terri Christian, David Chittick, Liz Harsant, Gary Kitching, Julie Marjoram, Paul Marshall, Karin Norman-Butler, Denise Pattison, Helen Paxton, Douglas Paxton, Mark van der Ree, Chris Wilbraham.

It is not too late to make a donation if you would like to support our walkers – make a donation at 

Olivia Colman as DS Ellie Miller and David Tennant as DI Alec Hardy in Broadchurch.

When one of the suspects in ITV’s crime drama, Broadchurch, says of the rape victim, “She’s not the sort of woman this happens to”, you can almost feel the hackles going up on the backs of crisis workers across the country. Because Trish Winterman, the character in question, is exactly the sort of woman rape happens to. Not because she’s young and pretty, walking home late at night, drunk, in a tiny skirt.

In fact, she’s none of those things. Trish is a middle-aged mother who works in a garden centre. But on the night of her best friend’s 50th birthday party, she finds herself vulnerable and accessible, and those are the two things crisis worker, Lynn Ambrose, tells me rapists look for in a potential victim.

Rape isn’t motivated by sexual desire. As Broadchurch’s DS Miller says of Trish’s attack, “it was about power and control, not sex”. Ninety per cent of rape victims know their attacker and as television programmes like Broadchurch and the BBC’s Apple Tree Yard seek to highlight, rapists strike at birthday parties, office parties, outside smart wine bars, even in the marital bed.

For this reason, as I toured a Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Ipswich recently, called The Ferns, I made a conscious effort to remind myself that what I was looking round was a resource, funded by Suffolk Police and the NHS, for use by me; by me, by my friends, by any woman, man or child who, heaven forbid, is raped or sexually assaulted.

A SARC is the building Trish is taken to in Broadchurch to be examined. In her case, she is escorted by two police officers, having reported the rape to the police herself. However, in real life there is also the option of calling
SARCs directly and by-passing the police altogether. Forensic evidence can be stored at the centre for up to seven years, so there is no immediate pressure on a victim to report the assault.

In fact, one of the main reasons SARCs, like The Ferns, exist is to give women time and options, without a police officer in sight. There is a relatively short forensic window after an attack though so a key job for crisis workers is to encourage victims to come to The Ferns as soon as they can, even if only to have a cup of tea and take the morning-after pill.

When you arrive at The Ferns you are at the start of what the staff call the ‘victim’s journey’. You move from room to room and exit via a different door, never turning back.

That way, as Lynn Ambrose, who manages the centre, explains, “you are physically moving forward and hopefully psychologically too”.

Workers at The Ferns sexual assault referral centre in Ipswich.

The process starts in the waiting room, where victims are met by crisis workers. Any accompanying police officers disappear at this point. All involved then change into scrubs and once the victim has given his or her consent a forensic nurse begins the process of taking swabs and documenting injuries. After a shower, fresh towels and new clothes, the individual moves on to the recovery room to discuss the relevant next steps: refuge availability, counselling services, what to expect from a police investigation or court process. Victims are also assigned Independent Sexual Violence Advisers, for eight weeks at the very least. Once back in the outside world, recovery can be hampered by the constant need to explain what’s happened to the likes of one’s GP, boss or child’s school, so ISVAs step in to be a victim’s voice and do all the talking for them.

Children’s Room at The Ferns

The Ferns is Suffolk’s only SARC and thanks to an associated charity, The Friends of the Ferns, it is able to offer a number of services that aren’t available in other counties. Victims have the use of a videolink room, so that
they can give evidence in court without having to face the courtroom in person. There is also a children’s room full of toys and a three-dimensional distraction system to minimise distress during examinations. Since The Ferns
opened in April 2011, the centre has helped 397 people under the age of 19.

Unlike Trish Winterman in Broadchurch, the rape victim in Apple Tree Yard chooses not to go to the police. Yvonne Carmichael, an eminent scientist, wife and soon-to-be grandmother, is seen driving as far as the police station
only to lose her resolve at the last minute. And that is the norm: 85% of victims do not report their attack. At The Ferns, 22 adult victims walk through their door each month on average, a number which could be higher if more
chose to speak out.

The Ferns has a 24 hour helpline: 0300 123 5058.
To make a donation, contact friendsoftheferns@safecic.co.uk

newsroom@archant.co.uk