Delighted to help raise funds for Victim Support and Witness Service by donating signed copies of new DI Horton crime novel

[Pauline Rowson]

I was delighted to be able to help raise funds albeit in a small way for Victim Support and Witness Service in Portsmouth, England, by donating a signed copy of the latest DI Andy Horton crime novel A Killing Coast and two of my thrillers; In Cold Daylight and In For The Kill.  These will be given as prizes in a fund raising pub quiz.

Victim Support is a national charity which provides free and confidential help to victims of crime, witnesses, their family, friends and anyone affected across England and Wales. They also speak out as a national voice for victims and witnesses and campaign for change. They are not a government agency or part of the police and you don't have to report a crime to the police to get their help. They are available to help any time after the crime has happened, whether it was yesterday, last week or several years ago. I know from personal experience in my family that the trauma of being a victim of violent crime never goes away.  It can remain as painful in thirty, forty and over fifty years later.

From left to right: Mary Waldron, Pauline Rowson and Dawn McGee

Victim Support have offices throughout England and Wales and run the Witness Service in every criminal court. On Wednesday I was at the Witness Service office in Crown House, Portsmouth to meet two great people who run it there and in Hampshire  and the Isle of Wight, along with a band of volunteers. The charity is built on volunteers and needs to raise money in order to be able to operate.  You can find out more about volunteering and donating on their website.

I was pleased to be able to help even though it was in small way  and look forward to learning more about this excellent service in the future.