SPECIALIST support for victims of rape and sexual abuse is being offered in Harwich for the first time.

Grants totally £8,000 mean the Centre for Action on Rape and Abuse, known as Cara, will be able to fund a counsellor one day a week in the town.

Up until now, victims of rape and sexual violence from the Harwich area have had to travel to Colchester or Clacton to get support.

Helen Parr, director of Cara, said: “We are delighted to have received this funding, which will help provide specialist one-to-one support for young people who have been victims of sexual violence or child sexual abuse, enabling them to work through their trauma and move forward with their lives.

“Young people will no longer need to travel to Colchester or Clacton to access our services as thanks to this grant, we can now provide support in Harwich.”

The charity has been given £5,000 from the Harwich Haven Authority’s Community Fund and £3,000 from the Galloper Windfarm Community Fund.

Initially the counsellor in Harwich will be prioritised for young people aged 13 to 19, who have suffered sexual violence or child sexual abuse, but it is hoped support will be extended if more funding can be found.

It comes after more than a quarter of all the referrals the charity had from the Tendring area last year were from Harwich or Manningtree - 59 people.

In total, Cara had 1,288 referrals from victims and survivors of sexual violence and child sexual abuse of all ages and genders from across mid and north Essex last year.

Helen added: “Coming to Clacton or Colchester is quite difficult for people in Harwich - it’s quite a long journey particularly on public transport and particularly if they are unfamiliar or don’t often come to these towns.”

Helen said a lot of people that seek support from the charity have been living with what has happened to them for a long time before finding the confidence to approach them, which could be harder if they have to travel to get support.

She added: “We support them so they can start to move on with their lives and come to terms with it.

“We know there is a huge demand for our services in Harwich and we very much hope to increase the support we provide in future.

“Specialist sexual violence counselling gives victims and survivors the opportunity to process what has happened to them, develop effective coping mechanisms to deal with the trauma they have experienced and to move forwards with their lives.”

For more details about the support on offer or to find help, visit the Cara website at caraessex.org.uk call 01206 769795.