The Tampon Tax Community Fund allocates funds generated from the VAT on sanitary products to projects that improve the lives of disadvantaged women and girls. 

In the 2019/2020 latest funding round, for the second time, Community Foundation for Surrey have been awarding grants to charities and community groups delivering projects in the county, that specifically that support women and girls to build skills and confidence, improve their health and wellbeing, and build social networks.

At North Surrey Domestic Abuse Service, we run a number of programmes to help survivors of domestic abuse. One programme we offer is the Power to Change group recovery course, that aims to build or restore our clients self esteem and confidence, so they feel prepared to face life independently away from their perpetrator and abusive relationship(s.)  We now run this course, across 3 Surrey boroughs; Elmbridge, Epsom & Ewell and Spelthorne, in Surrey, 4 times a year in each borough.

We are absolutely delighted that North Surrey Domestic Abuse Service have been awarded £10,000 by Community Foundation for Surrey. These vital funds will be used to enhance our current Power to Change course.

How will the Tampon Tax Award enhance the Power to Change programme in 2020?

Marriage, children and shared finances are often huge reasons that people in abusive relationships, stay in them. This dependency is heightened in relationships where one partner is financially dependent on another. Our clients may not have worked for a vast variety of reasons to do or not to do with their previous abusive relationship. They may have been coerced into not working or they may have simply stopped work after having children, or looking after a family member or moving geographically, any of these situations could have resulted in them becoming financially dependent on an abusive partner.

Restoring confidence to find work or retrain – to be financially independent.

Our clients may wish or need to work, but may have lost their confidence, either due to being in an abusive relationship, or being out of work for a period of time, what ever the reason.

The Tampon Tax Community Fund will enable us to extend our programme in 2020, to provide an additional course called ‘Skills for Change.’ Skills for Change will aim to build on their improved confidence and self esteem gained in the group recovery course and help clients, build practical skills and confidence to secure a new working life and independence that is the right match for them.

We will help them consider their skills, personal qualities, financial and parenting responsibilities, previous experience, aspirations and support them to develop a path to a new working life.

We are hugely grateful to the ongoing support of  the team at Community Foundation for Surrey and for this grant award to support our programmes in 2020.

If you would like more information about the North Surrey Domestic Abuse service, please call 01932 260690 or email nsdas@caew.org.uk

North Surrey Domestic Abuse Service are managed by Citizens Advice Elmbridge West – registered charity number 1094025.