Volunteer for Gloucestershire charity shares her story
Mary volunteers with domestic abuse charity Fear Free.
Mary Wood volunteers with Gloucestershire domestic abuse charity, FearFree.
A survivor herself, Mary told us she wanted to give back now that her life is back on track.
"I wanted to help people who are in similar situations. I was also a police officer for 30 years and I'm now a student of criminal psychology, so I feel I have an understanding of the issues from different perspectives," she said.
Mary volunteers as a Community Speaker, telling them about the work FearFree does in breaking the cycle of abuse.
She said: "I feel that if you can help people understand the issues then that might empower them, or it might help them to help somebody that they know, to get out of a dangerous situation or to get the help that they need."
Mary told us that, until she spoke out, she had no idea that people close to her had also been in the same position.
She said she hopes that the power of talking and understanding helps find solutions and allows survivors to find safety.
Mary called her role "empowering", telling us she takes a lot of satisfaction from it.
"You're doing something good," she said.
Mary told us volunteering can also be an excellent way to build confidence, as well as boosting a CV and gaining real world experience.