Liberate Guernsey is a small but influential charity that formed seven years ago with the aim of supporting the LGBTQ+ community, their family, friends, and workplaces. Their mission is to ensure that all LGBTQ+ people feel valued, included, and supported in the community, and to ensure everyone has a ‘place’ and voice. The charity also helps inform and educate the wider community on the discrimination and isolation that the LGBTQ+ community can face.

The grant went towards the salary of Liberate’s CEO, Ellie Jones, over two years. Ellie’s role in the charity is instrumental in ensuring that the charity delivers on its aims and purpose. Along with the day to day running of the charity, Ellie delivers most of Liberate’s key services including:

• Training and advice for organisations on inclusion and acceptance of LGBTQ+ people
• Providing LGBTQ+ youth services across the Bailiwick
• Liaising with many departments in the States of Guernsey to reform discriminatory policies and laws
• Offering one to one support to LGBTQ+ people, their families and friends
• Organising and promoting all of the work and groups that Liberate host
• Organising and hosting inclusive events that celebrate the diversity that exists in our society

“We could not do what we do without the support of the grant that we have received from Lloyds Bank Foundation. The work we do is a full-time job, with the need for a focused professional team behind it. The funding from LBFCI has helped us improve the lives of LGBTQ+ people here in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, ensuring that the next generation grow up in a fairer more inclusive society.”

Ellie Jones, CEO, Liberate

Jersey Women’s Refuge is the only independent domestic violence charity in the island, and provides a 24-hour, confidential support service, as well as a safe house, for women and children suffering from abuse.

£35K grant for the provision of services and awareness raising.

The Foundation grant was unrestricted and used for multiple projects and initiatives. Primarily, it allowed Jersey Women’s Refuge to provide safe accommodation to 48 women and 28 children, with 82% feeling they achieved positive outcomes and 87% saying they would be more confident to seek support. More than 100 women were supported through the charity’s helpline and 21 children on a 1:1 basis. The grant was also used to deliver self development group work, helping women to reflect on their experiences. This is a critical step along the path of breaking what might be a cycle of toxic relationships.

A domestic abuse awareness radio campaign raised awareness of domestic abuse and the support services available. The charity was able to support the multi-agency annual domestic abuse campaign in nine different schools with the Expect Respect programme for children and young people. In 2021, 107 educational talks reached more than 1,000 people. This included educational sessions for children, young people and professionals to help them identify cases of domestic abuse and know where to refer them.

“Despite the many challenges that 2021 brought, from Covid restrictions to staff shortages, we were able to achieve the goals we had set ourselves thanks to the funding from Lloyds Bank Foundation. We focused on raising public awareness of the services we provide and the issues related to domestic abuse through two campaigns. We also reached out to young people in schools to talk about respect and toxic relationships. Feedback from those accessing our services reported increased confidence, self-esteem and feeling empowered, and we are grateful for the support of the Foundation enabling us to achieve so much.”

Marine Oliveira, Service Manager