May 4, 2022 | News, Press Releases
Derbyshire-born actor Molly Windsor, who starred in a television drama about child sexual exploitation and has since been an active ambassador for local Safe and Sound, has been officially recognised with an award.
Molly, who lives in Breaston, has starred in several film and television dramas including ‘Three Girls’ which highlighted the manipulative methods used by perpetrators targeting vulnerable children and young people in Rochdale.
She connected with Safe and Sound whose expertise particularly came to the fore during the 2010 landmark case – Operation Retriever – which was Derby’s first prosecution for child sexual exploitation and abuse. Safe and Sound’s specialist team supported every young person affected by the criminal actions of 13 defendants who were jailed in total for up to 22 years for 70 offences.
Over the past five years, Molly has worked to raise awareness of child exploitation, raised vital funds and met with many of the young people and families whose lives have been affected by exploitation and who are supported by Safe and Sound.
Her voluntary work was recognised recently by The High Sheriff of Derbyshire Michael Copestake who visited Safe and Sound’s offices in Darley Abbey to find out more about the work of the charity which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
He presented Molly with The High Sheriff’s Certificate which is awarded to those who go above and beyond to support their local communities.
Mr Copestake said: “Safe and Sound do an amazing job in protecting and supporting some of the most vulnerable young people and families in our local communities and Molly’s dedication to helping the charity on a voluntary basis is outstanding.”
Molly continued: “Over the last few years, it has been a pleasure to see all the fantastic work Safe and Sound is doing.
“Since ‘Three Girls’ aired, I have found lots of people open up to me about child exploitation and their own experiences so being able to point them towards Safe and Sound is invaluable as I know that anyone who reaches out to the charity will be listened to and supported.
“It was such a surprise to be given the award from The High Sheriff. It means a great deal and I look forward to continuing to work with and support Safe and Sound.”
Safe and Sound chair of trustees Mark Richardson added: “Molly has worked tirelessly for the charity and really engages with the young people that the fantastic team here work with.
“We really value her support and willingness to speak about the issue which affects so many people’s lives. Having an ambassador with a public profile is invaluable in helping to break down the taboos about child exploitation which is an uncomfortable but important issue to bring out into the open.”
Safe and Sound supports an increasing number of children, young people and their families whose lives have been affected by exploitation including online grooming, sexual exploitation, coercion to run drugs through County Lines, trafficking, modern slavery and radicalisation.
Last year the charity worked with 203 young people (compared with 150 the previous year) as well as 49 families whose children are being groomed and exploited.
Safe and Sound CEO Tracy Harrison concluded: “Child exploitation had long been a real and present danger across all sections of society – affecting boys and girls regardless of where they lived, their family circumstances, backgrounds, cultures and age.
“Our workload has particularly increased since the start of the pandemic when young people were at increased risk of online grooming which escalated into in-person exploitation.
“Raising awareness of the dangers is more important now than ever and we are very lucky to have Molly as one of our ambassadors.
“The drama ‘Three Girls’ continues to a valuable tool in our work to raise awareness of child exploitation and one of our young people recently said that she only realised that she had been groomed and exploited by who she thought was her boyfriend having watched the programme.
“We are grateful that The High Sheriff of Derbyshire took time out of his busy schedule to visit us, find out more about our work and present Molly with this prestigious award.”
For more information about the work of Safe and Sound and how to support them during their 20th anniversary year, please visit www.safeandsoundgroup.org.uk
Picture shows, from left: Mark Richardson, The High Sheriff of Derbyshire Michael Copestake, Molly Windsor and Tracy Harrison.
Feb 23, 2022 | News, Safe Derby
Free workshops have been organised across the city aimed at empowering women and girls who are concerned about their personal safety.
The Get Home Safely workshops are run by Derby-company MAX Conflict Management as part of the Safe Derby campaign.
The workshops are being delivered for members of the public as well as to groups of women and girls in partnership with several community organisations in the city.
The aim is to raise awareness about personal safety; empowering and raising attendees’ confidence with practical ways to be more assertive to take control in conflict situations and methods of reasonable force for self protection.
The next three hour workshop is on Sunday March 6 in Derby starting at 2.30pm and places can be booked free of charge at https://www.eventbrite.ie/o/max-training-amp-development-8313931973
Martial arts expert, author and qualified trauma therapist Mark Wingfield set up MAX Conflict Management in 2006 and has since provided the Get Home Safe – Every Day and a range of other self protection training sessions around the world.
He explained: “The workshops are focused on empowering women and girls to have the confidence to take control and be assertive with their voice and body language when they receive unwanted attention, are approached or feel threatened and how to use reasonable force if necessary.
“The overall aim is to stay safe and buying yourself the time to get away from a conflict situation.
“We work through different practical scenarios with role play in a safe and supportive environment so that everyone is more confident if the situation arises.”
Mr Wingfield continued: “Body language is very important and we work a lot on looking confident when out in public places – however you are feeling inside.
“We also talk about the myths of getting your phone out and pretending to talk to someone which is counter-productive. If you are on the phone you are actually distracted from what is going on.
“Similarly, if you are walking or running in a park with headphones on, you are far less aware of your surroundings and particularly can’t hear if anyone approaches you from behind.
“We also talk about the potential red flags that women should be aware of – such as someone stopping them to ask the time. In that situation we advise them to give the time if they wish but absolutely to keep on walking. Don’t show attractive valuables to tell the time to a stranger.
“If a car pulls up, turn and walk in the other direction and head for a place of safety such as into a shop or even knock on a door.”
Mr Wingfield continued that assertive use of voice was the first line of defence.
“Talking calmly and loudly to back away or shouting ‘leave me alone’ usually stops people in their tracks and gives you the opportunity to get away.
“Maintaining personal boundary space is also important and assertively putting your hands up immediately puts a barrier, or fence, in place.
“In the training, to cater for worst case scenario, participants are invited to fight me off. They are totally safe because of all the protective padding I wear. We teach three highly effective strikes which will immediately disable and enable an escape. These work for everyone under pressure and against any size of attacker.”
Among the women who have recently attended one of the Get Home Safely free workshops is 59-year-old Linda.
She was becoming increasingly nervous about going out in the evening to meet up with friends – particularly concerned about parking and then walking to a venue alone.
Her anxiety had been compounded by memories of being carjacked several years ago when she was pounced on by two men in a supermarket carpark who grabbed her keys and drove off in her car.
“I heard about the workshops and plucked up the courage to book a place because, being a single woman, I was feeling increasingly vulnerable about going out in the evening.
“It has given me so much more confidence to be assertive and take control of a situation which I have already had to put into practice when I was approached by a woman asking strange questions one evening.
“I put my hands up as a barrier and moved away quickly as the situation just didn’t feel right.
“It is a sad reality that, as women and girls, we have to think twice about going about our daily lives but I personally feel much more empowered now to go out – albeit taking sensible precautions such as parking in well lit areas and checking out routes in unfamiliar places.”
Safe Derby is backed by the Home Office’s Safer Streets initiative and led by Derby City Council and other voluntary and community sector partners including local specialist child exploitation charity Safe and Sound, Derby County Community Trust and Derby Community Action.
The overarching objective of the campaign is to signal Derby’s zero tolerance towards, and promotion of a city free fromgender-based violence, abuse, harassment and exploitation.
A series of workshops, training, events and new initiatives will be organised in the coming weeks with further activity then planned on key dates later in the year.
Councillor Matthew Eyre, Cabinet Member for Place and Community Development said: “The feedback from women and girls who have attended the Get Home Safely workshops so far has been very encouraging.
“They have spoken about how they feel far more empowered and confident to go about their business, particularly at night, where previously they may have felt nervous or worried.
“This is just one of the many practical actions we have organised as part of Safe Derby but my wider appeal is that everyone in our local communities makes a stand against gender-based violence.
“We all need to be aware of potential situations and taking appropriate action – whether that is asking someone if they are alright or calling the police if they see a situation unfolding or a crime taking place.
“Every woman and girl has the right to freedom of movement and we all have a responsibility to ensure Derby is a safe place to live, work and enjoy.”
For more information about Safe Derby visit https://www.safeandsoundgroup.org.uk/safederby/ and follow on social media #Safe Derby. For more information about MAX Conflict Management visit http://www.maxconflictmanagement.com/
Oct 27, 2021 | News
DERBY business Colleague Box has pledged its support to a city charity which helps victims of child exploitation and their families.
The personalised gift box company set up by Spondon husband-and-wife Adam and Natalie Bamford last year will donate profits from their Christmas range to Safe and Sound. It is the second consecutive year that Colleague Box, based in the Northedge Business Park, Alfreton Road, has supported the charity.
Last year Colleague Box raised more than £5,000 for Safe and Sound, which enabled the charity to purchase a much-needed minibus, enabling its youth and support workers to help and protect more children and young people in the community.
Managing Director Natalie Bamford was also involved in the charity’s Guinness World Record attempt for the largest display of butterfly replicas – part of Safe and Sound’s ongoing Butterfly Appeal. Local people and businesses were invited to purchase professionally-printed butterfly images, which were displayed in the Derbion shopping centre, in Derby.
Natalie, a former teaching assistant, said: “Safe and Sound do an incredible job of supporting young people and their families in Derby and transforming lives.
“It is a privilege to support their work once again and we hope that we can raise a significant amount of money so that they can continue the good work which they do.”
Safe and Sound CEO Tracy Harrison added: “Colleague Box are amazing supporters of Safe and Sound.
“They helped us to create our own Colleague Box – called the Hope Box – which individuals and companies can sponsor for the children we work with. Each box included positivity cards, a bath bomb, butterfly colouring book, sweet treats, a worry stone and personal message from their case worker.
“We are extremely grateful for their donation pledge again this Christmas and their support will enable us to help even more children, young people and their families across Derby and Derbyshire.”
Colleague Box launched their Christmas range last month and have already received several orders. Special-edition boxes include a festive party box, luxury hamper and the Cosy Christmas Box; a personalised gift box containing gourmet popcorn, sparkling Prosecco and artisan chocolates. Prices start from £13.99.
Adam Bamford, the company’s CEO, added: “Demand for our Christmas boxes was high last year and we sold out quite early on, so we’re advising customers to get their orders in early and have early bird offers for those who are wanting to get Christmas wrapped up early.”
Colleague Box offer free UK shipping, and personalisation is also included with each gift box.
Each box is ordered online and for bulk purchases, Colleague Box offer a quick turnaround. Packaged using sustainable and recyclable materials, the boxes arrive at the door within a few days.
To find out more, visit www.colleaguebox.co.uk or connect on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.
Image credit: MiniAperture Photography
Jul 19, 2021 | News, Press Releases
Safe and Sound, the Derbyshire based child exploitation charity, is supporting this summer’s NCS programme with a series of awareness raising sessions for young people.
Safe and Sound supports children and young people across Derbyshire who are victims of or at risk of child exploitation which includes online grooming, sexual exploitation, County Lines, Modern Slavery and trafficking as well as supporting their families and raising awareness of the issues in local communities.
Support workers from the charity have been invited by Derby County Community Trust to hold sessions for more than 250 local young people who have signed up to the NCS summer programme.
The sessions focus on emotional resilience, how their own lives have been affected by the pandemic and how this has increased young people’s vulnerability to exploitation.
Safe and Sound chief executive Tracy Harrison said: “Our workload has doubled during the past 18 months because the pandemic, and particularly periods of lockdown, has dramatically increased young people’s vulnerability to exploitation – particularly online grooming and by drugs gangs who are running County Lines.
“As well as supporting young people and families, an important part of our work is to raise awareness of the dangers that face any child or young person – regardless of their age, sex, cultural background or family circumstances.
“Our sessions as part of the NCS programme have therefore focused on helping young people realise the link between emotional resilience and vulnerability to exploitation.
“By raising awareness of the dangers facing young people in our own city and county, we hope the NCS graduates will be more confident to recognise, challenge and support others who are victims of or at risk of exploitation in their future lives.
Derby County Community Trust NCS Project Manager Emma Pilgrim continued: “Derby County Community Trust are thrilled to have a long-standing partnership with Safe and Sound, particularly through our NCS programme.
“Improving lives and communities through education is a key part of our charity’s mission, and the workshops that Safe and Sound deliver to our young people is vitally important.
“In teaching them important messages around their own and other’s safety, which forms part of the project’s central objectives, we are helping to set them up for their next steps in education, employment or training. We look forward to continuing our work alongside Safe and Sound in subsequent projects.”
For more information about Safe and Sound and how to support the work it does, please visit https://safeandsoundgroup.org.uk/
Jun 21, 2021 | News
By Tracy Harrison, chief executive of Derbyshire’s specialist child exploitation charity, Safe and Sound.
Children and young people have undoubtedly suffered throughout the pandemic – missing out on attending school, activities and enjoying social interaction which has all taken its toll on their physical and mental wellbeing.
Even more worrying is that this isolation, the fact that most have spent more time online and the pressure on family finances throughout the past 18 months has made many young people far more vulnerable to being groomed by criminal gangs and individuals both online and face to face.
We support young people across Derbyshire who are victims of or at risk of child exploitation which includes online grooming, sexual exploitation, involvement in drugs gangs as well as trafficking, modern slavery and radicalisation as well as supporting their families and raising awareness of the dangers facing young people.
In line with the national picture, we have seen a 50% increase in referrals for the support in the past year which confirms the real and present danger to a growing number of young people in our local communities.
A particular impact of child exploitation is the toll it takes on a young person’s self-esteem. As well as supporting and protecting the young people we work with, our youth activities programme has focused on re-building their confidence and helping them find their voice so that they can move forward with their lives.
A great example of this has been the incredible Youth Voice project created by Derby Theatre and Baby People.
The young people chose equality and sexism as their subject matters and then worked with artists to create a rap and two dances which they performed to a small audience, including Derbyshire-born actor Molly Windsor.
Molly was inspired to become an ambassador for Safe and Sound after starring in the television drama ‘Three Girls’ – based on the true stories of grooming and sexual abuse in Rochdale between 2008 and 2012.
One of the highlights of that final day was seeing a young person involved in the project talk about how amazing it was to meet Molly and how she shared that watching ‘Three Girls’ had helped her come to terms with her own experiences.
This young person is now looking forward to a positive future but would never have had the courage to speak up before this inspirational creative project. She is living proof of just how valuable it is to invest in such work to give young people the chance to boost their confidence and find their voice.
There are many more young people whose confidence and self-esteem has been impacted by Covid so my plea is that we all, in whatever walk of life we are, do all that we can to ensure young people can draw a line under these unprecedented times and find their voice so that they too can move forward with their lives.
Jun 21, 2021 | News, Press Releases
Derbyshire-born actor Molly Windsor, who is an ambassador for child exploitation charity Safe and Sound, was the guest of honour at a performance to celebrate an innovative creative project for local children and young people.
Safe and Sound teamed up with arts organisations Derby Theatre and Baby People to enable ten boys and girls to join the Youth Voice project as part of the charity’s work to help them overcome their experiences of child exploitation.
The young people chose equality and sexism as their subject matters and then worked with artists to create a rap and two dances which they performed to a small audience, including Molly Windsor.
The actor was inspired to get involved with Safe and Sound after starring in the television drama ‘Three Girls’ – based on the true stories of grooming and sexual abuse in Rochdale between 2008 and 2012.
She said: “The rap and dances were incredible. They were all really confident and it was my pleasure to present them all with a certificate and a Hope Box which Safe and Sound has created, sponsored by local businesses, to support young people further on moving on with their lives.
“I was particularly heartened to hear that one of the girls involved in the project found that watching ‘Three Girls’ had helped her come to terms with her own experiences of sexual exploitation. It was a real honour to have the chance to hear about how she is much more positive about her future having worked with Safe and Sound.”
Safe and Sound supports children and young people across Derbyshire who are victims of or at risk of child exploitation including online grooming, sexual exploitation, trafficking, drugs lines, modern slavery and radicalisation. The charity also supports the wider family and raises awareness in local communities of the dangers facing young people.
Safe and Sound youth worker Sally Littlewood added: “We started with a confidence building session and the artists from Derby Theatre and Baby People were inspirational in helping the young people to find their voice and translate their feelings and views into a rap and dances.
“Re-building a young person’s self-esteem and encouraging them to find their voice is so important in their transition from experiencing child exploitation and is something that we focus on across all the activities that the young people engage with.
“As the project developed, it was incredible to see their confidence grow and the quality of the work they produced and performed was amazing – so much so that one of the girls now has the chance to record the rap that they wrote with Baby People.”
To sponsor a Hope Box, please visit the new Safe and Sound website https://www.safeandsoundgroup.org.uk/2021-support-ideas/ where there is information about how else to support the charity’s work and a wide range of resources for parents, professionals and young people themselves.
Ends
Picture shows, from left: Laura Ryder (Derby Theatre), Joe Sheridan (Baby People), Molly Windsor and Sally Littlewood
Media enquiries: Sarah Jenkin-Jones, JJPR, Tel: 01332 515102/07951 945665; [email protected]
