TO MARK Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a prevention convention will be held at Finchampstead Baptist Church next Thursday.
The event, on Gorse Ride North, will be hosted by domestic abuse charity Kaleidoscopic UK, on Thursday, October 21.
After last year’s event was cancelled due to covid, founder Vickie Robertson is looking forward to it going ahead this year.
Miss Robertson said: “We can all help prevent domestic abuse from happening, and we can all make an effort to make sure we are all as robust as possible.
“There’s so many different areas of abuse, no one is exempt from it and we need to all be more aware of spotting the signs of it sooner.”
Visitors will be welcomed by BBC Radio Berkshire presenter, Michelle Jordan, patron of Kaleidoscopic UK.
Speakers include Dr Jessica Taylor, Nicole Jacobs, Chris Green, Jennifer Gilmour, Lisa Lee, Jake Morrison, Karin Walker and more.
“With the prevention convention, we really want people to understand that abusers can be violent in so many different ways so it’s important we all know what to look out for,” Miss Robertson explained.
As the event comes as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Miss Robertson is encouraging more people to talk about domestic abuse to each other.
“We need to get comfortable with the uncomfortable and we need to start having those conversations where it’s OK to talk about domestic abuse,” she said.
“The subject is still very much taboo so if we open up those conversations so that it becomes normalised, we can start raising more awareness and supporting those around us.”
Miss Robertson added that the community can share Kaleidoscopic UK’s posts and their daily campaigns to get people talking.
“There’s so many ways you can get involved with our charity, whether it’s volunteering for us or even just highlighting what we do for victims,” she said.
The event will run from 9.30am until 4pm.
Tickets cost £70, which includes a buffet lunch.
For more details, or to book tickets, log on to: kaleidoscopic.uk
