Garden Party at the River of Life Church

Cream teas and fun for all the family will be on offer at a unique garden party on Saturday 27th August. It takes place at River of Life Church, beside Dumfries Railway Station, from 2 – 5pm. Everyone is invited to sample traditional treats, home-baking and a sumptuous chocolate fountain. Professional manicures and facials will be available as well as crafts and cards, tombola, face-painting and a whole host of children’s activities, including a bouncy castle.

Admission is £1 for adults and 50p for children under 16. Proceeds from the event will split between the A21 Campaign which aims to prevent people from being trafficked and protect and support victims, and City Hearts, and Sheffield based charity which runs a ‘safe house’ as a refuge for girls from around the UK escaping from prostitution or domestic servitude.

This event is being hosted by Women Connect, who meet together regularly to support one another and to raise the profile of key issues. The issue of human trafficking was discussed at a recent meeting and inspired the group to do something about it. According to member Ali Spellacy, “This whole thing has really shocked us. We want to do something to make a difference and hope our garden party will be a start.”

Here’s Ali’s interview with Mark Smith on Drivetime earlier this week:

The A21 Campaign is committed to abolishing justice in the 21st century. It has established a schools prevention programme to educate pupils on the risk of trafficking and operates a crisis care shelter providing medical care, legal services, trauma rehabilitation and life skills training to victims. A21 also partners with a range of agencies to strengthen legal responses to trafficking and prosecute perpetrators. More information on the work of A21 will be available at the event. See thea21campaign.org for more info.

City Hearts, in Sheffield, exists to help young vulnerable women and has the capacity to house up to 30 women at any one time. The Safe House provides a place of safety for women coming out of prostitution and women who have been rescued from human trafficking. See hopecitychurch.tv/community/city-hearts for more info.

“Human trafficking might seem a remote issue but it is happening closer to home than we think.” says group leader Helen Smith. “Trafficked women have been found in Glasgow brothels. Victims could be coming in through local ports like Stranraer. By raising awareness we hope we can help bring an end to this terrible trade.”