Sue Lambert Trust has supported survivors of sexual violence across Norfolk for more than 40 years. Now, a funding decision threatens to close our doors to up to 80 people every single month.
For more than 40 years, Sue Lambert Trust has been a place of safety for survivors of rape, sexual abuse and sexual violence across Norfolk and Waveney. We offer specialist, trauma-informed support to people who have often carried their experiences in silence for years, sometimes decades, before finding the courage to reach out. When they do, we are here.
That is what we exist to do. And right now, that is under threat.
What Is Happening
The Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) has announced that our funding will be cut from £420,000 to £144,000 over the next two years. We currently receive 80 to 90 referrals every single month. Under the new funding level, we will only be able to accept around 10.
That is up to 80 survivors every month who will reach out for help and be turned away. Not because the need is not there. Not because they do not deserve support. Because of a funding decision that, despite our repeated requests for clarity, has never been adequately explained.
The human cost of that is something we cannot accept quietly.
Setting the Record Straight
We have been told a number of things in response to our concerns, and we want to address them honestly.
We have been told that the Integrated Care Board (NHS – ICB) funding makes up the shortfall. It does not. That funding replaces grants that were removed in 2024. It is not new money, and the PCC cuts take us straight back to that position, this time without the reserves to fall back on.
We have also been told that the PCC is directing funding toward domestic abuse support through another organisation. We understand the vital importance of domestic abuse services. But Sue Lambert Trust is not a domestic abuse charity. We specialise in sexual violence and abuse, and that distinction matters enormously.
Sexual violence occurs both within and outside of domestic settings. It is perpetrated by partners and family members, but also by strangers, acquaintances, and people in positions of trust. Wherever it occurs and whoever is responsible, it is a distinct form of abuse that requires its own specialist, trauma-informed response. Domestic abuse support, however vital, cannot substitute for that. Survivors of childhood sexual abuse are more than twice as likely to experience domestic abuse in later life, and over thirteen times more likely to experience rape or assault as an adult. That connection makes the case for both services existing, not for replacing one with the other.
We also know this is happening at a moment when the Government has declared violence against women and girls a national emergency. Their own strategy commits to providing support for all those affected by violence and abuse when it happens. We are asking for nothing more than the chance to do exactly that.
Why We Are Still Here, and Why We Need You
Despite everything, we have not stopped. Our team continues to show up every day for the survivors who need us. We are grateful beyond words for the messages of support, the shares, and the solidarity we have received from our community since this news broke.
But solidarity alone will not keep our doors open.
We are fundraising to bridge a gap of £275,000, the difference between what we were receiving and what we have been left with. Every pound raised goes directly toward ensuring that when a survivor is ready to talk, there is someone here to listen. Toward keeping our specialist services running. Toward making sure that the people who come to us in their most vulnerable moments are not met with a closed door.
If you are able to donate, please consider contributing to our GoFundMe. No amount is too small. Every contribution brings us closer to being there for the survivors who need us.
We have always believed that when a survivor reaches out, we must be ready. With your help, we will be.