New home for Sexual Assault and Abuse Support Service

Following a series of set backs, the charity has a new base in the centre of Aylesbury.

Sexual Assault and Abuse Support Service, Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes (SAASSBMK), is the only accredited provider of specialist support for survivors of sexual abuse for all genders over the age of 5 in the county. They have been providing specialist services for our community since 1995, starting as Aylesbury Rape Crisis. Their services include: one to one counselling, psychoeducation, telephone support, drop-in sessions for peer support, group therapy and advocacy to help survivors navigate through the criminal justice process. 72 volunteers help the charity to support over 1,000 survivors of sexual violence and abuse every year in Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes.

One survivor said;

“It makes me emotional writing this but my counsellor was the ultimate gift. The time spent together helping me learn about myself, understanding my feelings and working through my trauma and depression is priceless. She saved me. She saved my life. I cannot thank her enough for how much of an impact she has had on my life and ultimately my children’s lives and their future.”

SAASSBMK were prematurely asked by Buckinghamshire Council to move out of their previous premises which resulted in delays and interruptions to survivors being able access face to face support. With thanks to the Ethical Property Foundation and Lloyds Bank Foundation, the charity received support to identify a suitable new location, a process that took over a year to complete.

SAASSBMK were due to move into a new property in Aylesbury, only to have their lease withdrawn by the landlord for Buckingham House, Buckingham Street in Aylesbury just 8 days before they were due to move in. Multiple appeals were made by SAASSBMK to resolve the situation or to be compensated for the £3,840.00 costs in legal and building association fees already encountered by the charity, but these were all rejected by Chandler Garvey on behalf of St James's Property Management Ltd and the landlord. The amount lost was the equivalent of 154 hours of support to victims of sexual assault and abuse.

Feeling dejected, SAASSBMK continued their efforts and were eventually able to successfully negotiate a new lease in a property in central Aylesbury. With thanks to funders Buckinghamshire Council Community Safety Fund, Aylesbury Town Council and The Screwfix Foundation who provided additional funding, building works were completed to make the space suitable for their needs and the charity moved in and began delivering face to face support to victims in July 2024.

Beki Osborne, CEO of SAASSBMK says: “It has been a very long year for all of us at SAASSBMK. We exist to respond to the needs of victims and survivors of sexual assault and abuse, and a physical presence in our local community is absolutely vital to us being able to do this. We’ve encountered many challenges and some heartbreak to get to where we are today, and I can’t be more pleased that this time is behind us. Now it’s time for us to settle into our new space and focus on making it our home – a safe and confidential space for anyone affected by sexual assault and abuse in our community.”

SAASSBMK is a registered charity that provides support to survivors of sexual violence and abuse across Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes. More information can be found here: https://www.saassbmk.org.uk/