Lincolnshire’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre invited to Buckingham Palace

The afternoon reception took place to recognise those who support survivors of sexual assault, and to mark the relaunch of Her Majesty’s Wash Bag project. As part of this project, the charity In Kind Direct and Boots will be distributing much needed wash bags to SARCs for clients to use.

The event was an incredible opportunity for agencies that support survivors of sexual abuse around the country to come together, as well as other professionals that work within the sexual violence area, such as MPs, Criminal Justice, and Victims’ Champions.

Carolyn Wright, ISVA/SARC Team Coordinator, said:

“It was a great honour to attend Buckingham Palace, to meet with Her Majesty The Queen and to be recognised for the work that we do.

“Sue and I were representing the entire Spring Lodge team as they all do an amazing job and work extremely hard to support our clients.”

Lincolnshire’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre, also known as Spring Lodge, supports any adult who has been raped, sexually assaulted, or sexually abused at any point in their lives.

Spring Lodge is a free NHS service run by Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LPFT) and part funded by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC).

LPFT’s team of Crisis Workers, Individual Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs) and Support Workers have been specially trained, and the service provides support and advice 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The team provide a non-judgemental service which is appropriate to each person’s needs and will listen and ask questions considerately so they can go through all the options and give the person time and space to make an informed decision about their next steps.

To find out more about the service or to get in touch for support, please visit: www.lpft.nhs.uk/spring-lodge. You can also read more about the Wash Bag Project on the Royal Website.