Arco Donates to Refuge Charity in Support of Domestic Abuse Victims

Arco's community panel has donated £5,000 to charity Refuge in support of their mission to protect women and children from violence and abuse. Sadly, domestic violence has been particularly prevalent during lockdown, with demand for Refuge's services rocketing, so the donation comes at a critical time for the charity.

Refuge has been working around the clock to sustain and increase their provision, as well as planning for the potential longer-term increase in need for services that they anticipate over the coming months and even year ahead. They have increased capacity in their National Domestic Abuse Helpline as well as accessibility, by speeding up online functionality including live chat.

Arco's donation will help the charity respond to individual's needs with speed, flexibility and agility; providing lifesaving and life-changing services to all who need support.

Arco remains committed to its Charity and Community support and donates 1% of its pre-tax profit to charity each year. Arco's Community Panel offers colleagues the opportunity to apply for an Arco Community Grant for causes which they are close to. The donation to Refuge follows an application made by Sharon Jakkula, Strategic Insight Specialist at Arco who nominated the charity for funding after being inspired by their work with women and children experiencing domestic violence.

Sharon Jakkula, Strategic Insight Specialist at Arco said:

"I'm delighted that the Community Panel donated to Refuge, a charity whose purpose aligns with our own, to keep people safe. Refuge does amazing work supporting women and children through very tough situations, and it's a sad inevitability that as lockdown progresses, there will be a rise in domestic abuse cases. I'm happy that we've done our bit to help vulnerable people trapped in these situations."

Charly Meehan, Spokesperson for Refuge said:

"We couldn't have done this without support like yours. Thank you for your commitment to our mission: changing society so that no-one has to live in fear of violence or abuse."