Tim Loughton, MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, has nominated Safe in Sussex, a charity that provides practical support for anyone affected by domestic abuse, to receive £1,000 donated by the trade body bacta, which represents seaside arcades, piers and related attractions.
He says, “I am tremendously grateful to BACTA and their generous offer to make donations to good causes in coastal towns like those in my constituency who are facing particular challenges in these difficult times. I am delighted they have agreed to help the domestic abuse charity Safe in Sussex, which is battling to cope with an increase in demand from victims which tragically has resulted from the current lockdown. They do an excellent job in looking after women and children escaping violent homes and this help with funding could not have come at a more crucial time.”
Sharon Howard CEO of Safe in Sussex says, “We are delighted to receive a donation of £1,000 from Bacta. The donation is going to help with the purchase of technology so that our staff can work remotely and continue to support people experiencing domestic abuse in our community during the coronavirus pandemic. There is growing demand for our vital services at this present time and as a local charity we rely on the goodwill of the community to enable us to continue to be there for those who need our help.”
Bacta launched its Siding With the Seaside (#sidingwiththeseaside) campaign last year in order to support the seaside communities served by their members and to highlight the lack of government investment that threatens the precious heritage in many seaside towns.
Bacta CEO John White says, “The situation was already serious for many seaside towns whose communities have suffered through lack of employment and local investment. However, when we went into lockdown just before the Easter holidays, the position became far more serious as local businesses were forced to shut and the seasonal trade, which is so vital, was lost. Our members made a total of £23,000 available to give to seaside charities via the MPs who we have got to know through our seaside campaigning work and who are best placed to know who would benefit most.”
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About bacta:
Bacta represents the owners and operators of seaside amusement arcades, over-18 amusement centres, and the companies that hire machines to pubs, clubs, bowling alleys, bingo halls and similar venues. It also represents the manufacturers and distributors of all types of amusement equipment. This can range from children’s rides, to jukeboxes, fruit machines in pubs and clubs, crane grabbers, penny falls, tuppeny nudgers, test your strength machines, videos, pool tables and gaming machines
