See house The Independent is building for domestic abuse survivors take shape

New footage shows a house The Independent is building for domestic abuse survivors taking shape, thanks to generous donations from our readers.

The Brick by Brick appeal, launched last month in partnership with the charity Refuge, has now raised more than £350,000 – and construction on the first safe new home for families fleeing the horror of domestic abuse is now well underway.

Standing among the foundations and rising walls of the new sanctuary, Refuge chair Hetti Barkworth-Nanton described its construction as “quite simply life-changing”.

Be a brick, buy a brick and donate here or text BRICK to 70560 to donate £15

“To know that this is happening and know that people are really behind it and giving us the support is just incredible,” said Ms Barkworth-Nanton.

“It is like the phoenix coming out of the ground, and it typifies what our survivors do to reach out for help. We will continue to build hope, we will never give up.”

The Independent’s editor-in-chief Geordie Greig said: “How exciting to feel that we can see progress being made. We’ve got something literally concrete and literally going to be here forever.”

After smashing the initial £300,000 target, the campaign is now aiming to build a second home, with the appeal having garnered the support of a host of high-profile figures, including prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, the Queen, Dame Helen Mirren and Sir Patrick Stewart.

Recent high-profile donations include a sum from Lloyds Banking Group and also Nirmal Sethia, chair of London-based Newby Teas and owner of the world’s finest teapot collection.

Mr Sethia said: “It is a privilege to be able to help the women and children who need to flee for safety. The great power of philanthropy is that it allows change to take place which can bring about better lives and I’m very proud to support The Independent’s Brick by Brick campaign.

“It is marvellous that something as solid and permanent as a building to house those in need is being built on the wave of the goodwill and charity of our great country.”

Mr Sethia also set up the N Sethia charitable foundation, which has helped hospitals, pioneered medical research and built temples in India. His generous donation has helped secure the funds for the second house for Refuge. 

Setting out the impact that donations will have, as the home being built by Persimmon takes shape, Ms Barkworth-Nanton said people are “in fear for their lives” and in “dire, dire need” when they contact Refuge for help.

She added: “It will have taken them almost certainly five years-plus to even understand and recognise that the dynamic that they’re in is abusive - much less reach out for help. And that’s the context of someone coming into this home. So the contrast for them is going to be, for them, actually very overwhelming.

“For anybody that’s donated to this campaign, whether you’ve bought one brick or 100 bricks, what you are doing is building something for the long term.

“You are building a home – you are building hope, and it’s a permanent thing. You can’t put a price on it. Thank you.”

Also speaking from the site, where the new building’s outer walls could be seen reaching above head height as construction work continues apace, Persimmon chair Roger Devlin said the two-bedroom house will be fully fitted with additional security features.

“We think it will be very comfortable and very much hope that the survivor who is accommodated here is really happy and is able to build a stable family life from this new base,” said Mr Devlin.

Persimmon has donated the site and made a substantial donation to fund the construction of the first house, as well as contributing to its furnishing.

Mr Greig added: “Thank you for supporting our Brick by Brick campaign. It’s a simple message – be a brick, buy a brick, help us to create enough funds to build a house, a sanctuary, for victims of domestic abuse.”

Please donate now to the Brick by Brick campaign, launched by The Independent and charity Refuge, to help raise £300,000 to build a safe space for women where they can escape domestic abuse, rebuild their lives and make a new future. Text BRICK to 70560 to donate £15.