Voices from the Dark

I like the title which is why I went; that and to accompany Joy who first mentioned it.  ‘Voices from the Dark’ was the true stories of women who have overcome life-changing events; specifically abuse.

We were told how abuse is not only physical, as often perceived, but emotional and mental too.  Inevitably the stories were littered with mental and physical health issues

The women were not actress’ they told their story. They are a group of women from the Eve Women's Well Being Project.  ‘Voices from the Dark’ was set not only to give these women a voice but to highlight the issues around the way people get lost, how even professionals do not listen to those in desperate need of being heard.

As people filed into their seats armed with ice cream and glasses of wine I wondered what on earth they were expecting. I wasn’t expecting an evening of entertainment; I was expecting an evening of education and certainly not one suitably for eating and drinking. I wasn’t alone. The ice cream spoons slowed and the wine disappeared as people sat, gripped, watching as the lives of people unravelled in front of the auditorium was silent.  It wasn’t harrowing; it was fact. All too common I expect.

At the end, as they all gathered together, I sat watching engaging and thinking.  There is a great deal of stigma around mental health issues not to mention abuse, so for these people to stand, in public, in front of those people who may judge them was… well… perhaps an opportunity to change not only their lives, but the stigma too.

The Eve project needs funding so if you want to give to charity and want to give to that, or if you want to know more the place to go is

www.evewomenswellbeing.org