Fundraisers in Wolverhampton are being asked to ‘step out’ in support of a local charity this October and help raise awareness of domestic abuse in the city.

The Haven is staging a family-friendly community walk on Saturday, 8 October in partnership with Wolverhampton Wanderers FC and the Wolves Community Trust.

Rather than miles, the event will be measured in steps – approximately 6,000 of them – to help communicate the importance of daily exercise, as well as deliver a powerful and united message that any form of domestic abuse is completely unacceptable.

The charity wants to reach an overall step total of one million during October and, in addition to the walk, is asking community groups, businesses and individuals to contribute through their own sponsored step activities. 

Jade Secker, Community Fundraising Officer for The Haven Wolverhampton, said: “October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, so a perfect opportunity for us to speak out against abuse and make people aware of the support services The Haven offers local women and children who are affected.

“We started with the idea of a sponsored walk, which will begin and end at the Molineux. Then it grew and we set ourselves the ambitious, but also fun, challenge of collectively clocking up one million steps.

“Staging it over a month keeps things flexible for our supporters, so if you can’t join us for the walk then it’s easy to organise a separate sponsored event of your own.

“A million may sound a lot, but with health experts recommending we all complete around 10,000 steps each day, that overall total will soon start to add up.”

Wolves mascot Wolfie was on hand to help officially launch the community walk, which starts at 10.30am. Black Country building society the West Brom is sponsoring the event and it will be hosted by radio station Signal 107.

Advanced registration is via The Haven’s website at www.havenrefuge.org.uk/walkamillion and costs £3 per person, plus an admin fee.

The Haven Wolverhampton provides practical and emotional support to women and children affected by domestic abuse and homelessness so they can move forward and rebuild their lives. The charity offers a range of services, including emergency accommodation, community outreach and criminal justice support. 

Home Office statistics from 2015 state that, on average, two women a week in England and Wales are killed by their current or ex-partner. Local research, also published last year by Wolverhampton City Council, revealed that 5,900 incidents were reported across the city over 12 months, an average of 16 per day.