A Community Interest Company supporting relatives of violent crime victims has received substantial funding from the Lottery Community Fund.

Restitute, a Community Interest Company (CIC) that offers support to third-party victims of violent crime, including domestic and sexual violence, has been awarded nearly £500,000.

The organisation helps parents, carers, partners, and siblings of abuse survivors.

It assists in their process of reconstructing lives disrupted by abuse disclosures.

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Restitute operates in some 20 counties, helping more than 400 families.

Fuelled by an expert and dedicated crew, the CIC strives tirelessly to guide families towards a semblance of normalcy amid trauma.

Responding to the hefty award, Restitute's founder and CEO, Cath Pickles, said: "We greatly appreciate being the recipients of this monetary award, it will go a long way towards funding our staff as they work tirelessly to help parents regain and rebuild some sort or normality within their families.

"Our clients are signposted to us by the police, social services and local authorities but we are not financially supported by any statutory body.

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"All of our funding is on an ad hoc basis and we can only continue to provide our professional services by applying for funding from sources such as the National Lottery."

Ms Pickles established Restitute five years ago. 

Her passion stemmed from a very personal place, as she is a parent to a daughter victimised by sexual violence.

The motivation behind the organisation was to extend crucial support to other families in the grip of similar circumstances, helping them navigate the challenging aftermath of violent crime disclosure.

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Back in November 2022, Restitute journeyed to parliament to talk about its work in Norfolk and Suffolk.

Notably, Norwich South MP, Clive Lewis, and MP Jess Philips, gave positive nods to the charity, its transformative impact noted.

They asserted their promises to advocate more for these third-party victims.