Cheshire and Merseyside domestic abuse campaign gets positive response

Be A Lover Not A Fighter

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Champs

A campaign which was launched just over two weeks ago has already engaged with thousands of people to raise awareness of domestic abuse.

Award-winning actress Crissy Rock launched the ‘Be a Lover not a Fighter’ campaign across Cheshire and Merseyside on February 9 2015.

Since then nearly 2,000 people have liked the campaign on Facebook, and thousands have interacted with it online and via engagement events which are taking place across the nine local authority areas involved.

The campaign asks the public to pledge their support to help put an end to domestic abuse. It aims to raise awareness of the often-hidden issue by encouraging people to talk about it.

One in three women and one in six men have suffered domestic abuse, with two women killed every week in the UK by their partners. But it’s not just physical violence; emotional and psychological abuse is less acknowledged but also constitutes domestic abuse.

‘Be a Lover not a Fighter’ is the latest campaign run by Champs, a public health collaborative of the Directors of Public Health across the nine local authorities in Cheshire and Merseyside. It aims to generate discussion about domestic abuse, its signs and impacts, while offering help to bring the subject out into the open.

Crissy Rock, who stars as Janey York in the hit TV series Benidorm, said: “I can’t believe how this has taken off. I’m really pleased to see so many people listening to what’s being said. As a survivor of domestic abuse myself, I welcome anything that can be done to help both men and women get out of abusive relationships and build a brighter more positive future.”

Other celebrity support has come from Shameless actress Karen Bryson; Hollyoaks actress Jennifer Metcalfe; Everton Football Club’s Ambassadors Ian Snodin, Graham Sharp and Graham Stuart; and Miguel De Foro from Britain’s Got Talent’s MD Productions. They have all shared videos of support showing their ‘heart hands’ on social media for the public to join in with their own.

Matthew Ashton, the Director of Public Health spokesperson for the campaign, commented: “We are delighted with the level of public support we have received so far. People are engaging with the campaign, talking about the issue and finding out more about the wealth of help and support that is available across Cheshire and Merseyside via our partnership working. This campaign always aimed to breakdown boundaries and stop domestic abuse being a hidden issue in communities. We want to encourage people to continue to pledge their support and get involved.”

For more information about the campaign, where the engagement events are being held, or to find out how you can pledge your support, please visit www.lovernotfighter.org.uk.