We did it! Together we’ve raised an incredible £13,296 through our Big Give campaign. 🎉🎉 Thank you so much to every person who has donated, shared and helped the spread the word to make this possible.

The VAWG Curriculum Day 13 Emma Bray, Chief Executive of Surrey-based domestic abuse charity I Choose Freedom, explains the reality of the funding situation for the refuge services the charity runs. www.ichoosefreedom.co.uk

Join our team in East Surrey! We are looking for a new Children's Advocate - applications close on the Thursday 11th December and interviews are from Monday 15th December. Email [email protected]

Thank you to everyone who has supported our Big Give campaign – we’re over halfway there! We’re truly grateful to every person who has donated, shared and spread the word. Thanks to you, we’ve raised an incredible £6,370 in just three days. And it’s not over yet.

The #BigGive is up and running! Donate to us today and your donation is doubled - for one week only, until 9th December.

Last night as part of our #16DaysOfActivism activity, we were proud to be on the pitch at Fulham FC for the Manchester City game talking about the lifesaving work we do. Thanks to everyone at the club for your incredible support 💜⚽️

Today is the first day of the Big Give where donations are DOUBLED for a week - we are aiming to raise £12,500 to fund 50 welcome packs and 50 introductory meetings with a domestic abuse advocate.

Tomorrow we start the Big Give, where donations are doubled! We are aiming to raise £12,500 to fund 50 welcome packs and 50 introductory meetings with a domestic abuse refuge advocate. We appreciate everyone who donates to help survivors, look out for the link tomorrow!

The difference time spent outdoors can make to your mental health 🍂 We recently visited a local provision that offers outside play opportunities for our families and gardening space for our single survivors and mums whose children are in education.

A practical ask this #16DaysofActivism - we are looking for size 8 maternity clothes for a survivor living in one of our refuges. If you or someone you know can help and live in or not far from Surrey, please send us a message Thank you 💜

On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, we want to let you know how you can help survivors of domestic abuse. Here is our brilliant CEO Emma, who recorded this from one of our refuges.

Thank you Fulham FC ⚽️ for a fantastic evening raising vital funds and awareness for I Choose Freedom at the Fulham Female of the Year Awards and Fundraiser 🏆

An honour for our team to meet Her Majesty Queen Camilla this morning, to talk about our lifesaving work with survivors, and to thank her for her incredible commitment to the issue of domestic abuse.

Today we are thrilled to announce we will be part of the Big Give Christmas Challenge 2025! During this time - 2nd December until the 9th December - donations to I Choose Freedom will be DOUBLED.

#EndTheHorror youtu.be/RGmYu7RGDzU?...

As we reach the end of #BlackHistoryMonth we share these words from Maya Angelou 💜 #StandingFirmInPowerAndPride

At I Choose Freedom, we know there is nothing Halloween can bring that is more frightening than the reality of living with domestic abuse. Out in cinemas soon. Thank you to everyone who gave their time to make this campaign possible. 🎃 youtu.be/RGmYu7RGDzU?... youtu.be/RGmYu7RGDzU?...

Tickets for our fundraising night are now on sale! 🎉🎉 🤩 Fulham FC Female of the Year Awards & Fundraiser 🤩 An evening of celebration, community, and fundraising in support of I Choose Freedom. 📆 Tuesday 18th November ⏱ 6pm - late 📍 Water's Edge, Fulham Pier, London SW6 6HH

We start this week in #BlackHistoryMonth with some inspirational words from Toni Morrison: "Your real job is that if you are free, you need to free somebody else. If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else." #StandingFirmInPowerAndPride

This #WorldMentalHealth Day, we wanted to share some photos from our craft day. We know how important creative activities can be for mental health, for children and adults alike 💜

Thanks to the generous support from Smile Sleigh, we were able to brighten up the playroom in one of our refuges with a beautiful new mural! Huge thanks also to the amazing volunteer team from Estee Lauder who brought the mural to life 💜

This week for #BlackHistoryMonth, we are sharing the inspiring words of Angela Davis: "I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept." #StandingFirmInPowerAndPride

On the first day of #BlackHistoryMonth, we want to thank our Black colleagues and charity supporters for being part of I Choose Freedom.

The biggest I Choose Freedom thank you to everyone who was part of Run Reigate yesterday 🏃‍♀️☀️🏃‍♂️ From runners to volunteers you were all incredible, both on the day and behind the scenes beforehand 💫

We are looking for a Domestic Abuse Refuge Advocate to join our wonderful team in East Surrey 👇

We are here for ALL survivors of domestic abuse 💜

It was wonderful this week to celebrate 30 years of Furnistore, a local charity we have worked with over many years to help our survivors when they move locally to help furnish their properties. They have also helped furnish our actual refuge properties.

We are delighted today to announce global economic abuse expert Dr Nicola Sharp-Jeffs OBE as our first charity Ambassador. We could not be prouder to have Nicola as our Ambassador, and to be working with her to amplify our life-saving and life-changing work.

Would you like to run a challenge this month to raise funds for our lifesaving work? We have some last minute places made available, please email Louise at [email protected] if you'd be interested in a September challenge to support our work! You can run a 5k, 10k or a half-marathon.

Come and join our brilliant team! We are looking for a full time Domestic Abuse Refuge Advocate for our East Surrey Refuge. The closing date is Wednesday 20th August and the first stage for the online interview is from Friday 22nd August (or sooner if possible).

A huge thank you to Surrey Freemasons from all of us at I Choose Freedom! The Surrey Freemasons assembled a team of volunteers and supporters to repaint a wing at one of our communal refuges, as well as providing new curtains, noticeboards and fridges.

Today we are delighted to announce the launch of our Referral Hotline for survivors of domestic abuse who need refuge spaces. The hotline is also available for professionals and family & friends.

So proud of our volunteer Ruth Barker, who has been awarded the Individual Volunteer Award in the Reigate and Banstead Volunteer Awards 💫

Thank you so much to our long-term supporters at Bryden Johnson for a wonderful Charity Golf Day that raised important funds for I Choose Freedom 💫 It was a pleasure to attend the event and for our CEO Emma Armstrong to speak about our lifesaving work supporting survivors of domestic abuse.

We are hiring a part-time Fundraising Adminstrator - please share 💜

With the sad announcement that the Women's Aid Live Chat service will be closing at the end of July, please be assured we are here to support survivors. You can email us at [email protected] or you can call the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.

Our before and after pics! We are so happy to be able to open our updated playroom 🥳 🎉 We do this with massive thanks to Linda and Reg from the Reginald and Josephine Haley Charitable Trust, and to the late Mildred Jackson, who very kindly left a legacy gift to us.

Domestic abuse isn’t always about physical harm. Sometimes it’s emotional, quiet, subtle, and harder to recognise. If someone you care about constantly puts you down, controls what you do, or makes you feel afraid or on edge, you might be experiencing coercive control.

As #VolunteersWeek draws to a close, we'd like to thank our wonderful board of trustees. Today, we are saying a big thank you and farewell to Susan Gregory, who is stepping down from being a trustee. Thank you Susan from all of us at I Choose Freedom! 💜

We are proud to support survivors of all genders and sexualities through our Refuge Accommodation For All Project, which aims to provide services to those with additional barriers. Solidarity with all survivors of domestic abuse, we are here for you ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜 #Pride

We're recruiting for a Domestic Abuse Refuge Advocate for our East Surrey refuge - come and join our brilliant team! Please email Sam at [email protected] for more information - the closing date is the 6th June, with interviews on or before 11th June.

Support us at I Choose Freedom by taking part in Run Reigate 2025! Taking place on Sunday, September 21, 2025, at Run Reigate you can choose from a Half Marathon, 10K or 5K, and there is also a kids’ race. Join our team today! Link to sign up: runforcharity.com/i-choose-fre...

It was a pleasure to attend Reigate and Banstead Council last night to see Councillor Rich Michalowski elected as Mayor, and Zelanie Cooper elected as Deputy Mayor.

This week has been an important one for us at I Choose Freedom in raising awareness of mental health and domestic abuse. #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek If you would like to support our work to meet the needs of survivors, here is how your fundraising or donation can directly help - it means so much 💜

Today, as part of #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek, Kate - one of our fantastic Domestic Abuse Refuge Advocates - has chosen a Nikita Gill poem to share. Many thanks to Nikita Gill for her kind permission to share this on our social channels today.

Today we hear from Jo*, one of our current residents in refuge 💜 #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek

Today is the start of Mental Health Awareness Week, and we will be spotlighting the voices of survivors and our team to raise awareness by speaking from our own experiences.

Our incredible supporter James not only finished the @londonmarathon in 3hrs, 44 mins in the heat last weekend, but he also stopped to help another runner reach the finish line and get help at the very end of a hard race. The runner had heat exhaustion and had broken his ankle, so proud of James 💜

The bond between a group of women is a feeling of comfort, safety, and unity that should always be constant. A woman should always have a home in the protection of other women. It is everyone's responsibility to build a safer world for survivors of domestic abuse.