Mental health charity sea dip for International Women’s Day

A team from the NHS mental health charity Heads On has taken on a dip in the sea.

It all happened in Worthing for 1.6 minutes to mark International Women’s Day.

The event aims to raise awareness of the estimated 1.6 million women aged 16-74 that experience domestic abuse in the UK each year*. The group is joining the international movement to #breakthebias; raising awareness against bias and promoting equality, diversity and inclusion.

For the one in four women who experience domestic abuse, the mental health impact can be profound and long lasting with the trauma of the abuse associated with depression, anxiety, PTSD and substance misuse. Exposure to domestic abuse has a significant impact on children’s mental health, with clear links to poorer educational outcomes and mental health problems.

Rachael Duke, Head of Charity at Heads On said: “For International Women’s Day we wanted to raise awareness of domestic abuse and celebrate the amazing achievements of survivors of domestic abuse. All women should be able to live lives free from abuse and to access the support they need to recover, without fear of being judged for their experiences. By building awareness and understanding, we hope to create a more compassionate world that support’s women’s recovery and puts their needs first. A huge thanks to everyone who sponsors us.”

Funds raised through the sea dip will go towards supporting the mental health recovery of staff and service user survivors of domestic abuse at Sussex Partnership.

If you’d like to support the Heads On team, please visit their JustGiving page here https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/headsonseadip.

All money raised will be used to support staff and service user survivors of domestic abuse at Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.