Joanna Simpson Foundation Encouraged by Royal Support

A domestic abuse campaigning group has welcomed support offered by the Duchess of Cornwall during a meeting last week.

Representatives from the Joanna Simpson Foundation met with the Duchess at an event in central London to discuss the impact of domestic abuse in the home.

The Foundation was set up in the memory of Joanna Simpson, who was killed by her estranged husband six years ago, and founders Diana Parkes and Hetti Barkworth-Nanton briefed the Duchess on their work to help victims of serious abuse.

The Duchess spent time with a group of campaigners who are working to break down the stigma which has historically been associated with violence in the home and offered her support.

Hetti commented: “We were all encouraged by the response we had from the Duchess and are enormously grateful for her offer of support.

“We set up the Foundation to fund programmes which help children who have experienced the trauma of domestic abuse in the home, and we have tried to turn the horror of Joanna’s death into a positive campaign.

“The meeting was a useful forum to discuss the stigma of domestic abuse and the Duchess was clearly affected by our stories.

“Dozens of people die each year at the hands of their partner leaving friends and families scarred for life. This issue is too-often swept under the carpet and I hope that this very public discussion will stimulate a proper conversation with the Government about what we should be doing to reduce abuse in the home.”

The two Joanna Simpson Foundation founders were participating in a briefing session organised by the charity SafeLives to inform the Duchess about the issues of coping following instances of domestic abuse.

The Foundation has already been successfully leading a review into the way the CPS handles domestic homicide cases and funded a unique programme to help children recover from trauma as a result of witnessing abuse in the home.

Note to Editors

More information on the Joanna Simpson Foundation can be found at www.jsfoundation.org.uk. For further information please contact Heidi Jackson [email protected]