Lincolnshire businesses being asked to sponsor a room for those seeking refuge from abuse

A domestic abuse charity in South Lincolnshire are calling on local businesses to sponsor a room in refuge.

Haven have seventeen rooms to house those fleeing abuse, with many in need of refurbishment.

Chloe Waters is from the charity and says creating a welcoming environment helps encourage people to leave the perpetrator, "often somebody would have been wanting to leave that relationship for a long, long time, but the fear of going to refuge stops them," she said.

"There is often a real sense of warmth and total shock when people arrive, I've had people say they weren't expecting it to be so nice."

The refuge not only helps people in Lincolnshire, but often families travel from across the country for safety here.

"As you can imagine, when a family comes into refuge, they've fled domestic abuse, and often they will arrive with very little," said Chloe.

"Often nothing but the clothes on their back. So the whole idea of the sponsor room appeal is to be able to provide them a welcoming environment."

Businesses including the Lincs Rural Housing Association and Platform Housing Group have already put up the £1600 needed to renovate each room.

"The appeal covers things like the cost to refurbish the bedroom; so to make sure that we've got clean bedding in there, towels, teddies for the children on the bed when they arrive.

"All them little touches that really the difference between people wanting to stay in refuge and return to the perpetrator."