'I need this more than anything': Grooming gang survivors to find healing together thanks to new Shropshire non-profit

A group of survivors of UK grooming gangs - including from Telford - will meet for a retreat of relaxation, therapy, and group activities. 

It's the first event held by The Survivors' Archive, an independent archive and research project set up earlier this year by Shropshire councillor Donna Edmunds.  

A former journalist, Ms Edmunds initially intended the non-profit to be an oral history project, but quickly realised research would not be enough.

She said: "In January, it was back in the news and everyone was calling for an inquiry - but we've had ten already. All it does is produce another report that will get filed.

"I thought it would be better to create an oral history project, something that would have the time to ask a broader range of questions that everyone had access to - researchers, politicians, journalists. 

"That was my initial perspective, get as much info out there as possible and it will help.

"But as we began working on it, I realised it wasn't going to be enough to help in three or five years - we need to do something now." 

After speaking to a number of survivors, Miss Edmunds said the team quickly realised there was little help available specifically for people who had been through the widespread cases of group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation that mostly occurred between the 1990s and 2010s. 

She added: "We also found that any help that is available might not be accessible - whether that's because of long waiting lists or underfunding.

"A lot of the victims also have no trust in the organisations that might be providing support - like the police or social services. 

"We want to help build a support system just for them, hosting retreats, funding long-term therapy, and building community groups so they have access to a group near them."

The retreat this weekend - which will include a range of therapeutic activities like yoga, walking, and painting - is the first held by the organisation, and the first that many of the survivors have ever heard of.

One attendee, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: "It will be really good for the survivors, it's the only and first positive thing that I know that has been arranged for us. We all need healing, and this is one step towards that." 

"I need this retreat more than anything," said another, identified only as Correne. 

"Every day I'm battling with my mental health and anxiety. There's no real support out there for us, so this means the world to me to know I'm going to have a peaceful weekend away with other surivivors who understand me."

The long weekend has cost The Survivors' Archive around £10,000 to cover food, travel, two on-site therapists and all of the activities - and the organisation is raising funds to help cover the cost. 

An online fundraiser has been launched to help support this and future retreats, and can be found online at gofundme.com/f/the-survivors-archive-retreat-and-therapy-fund.