A DOMESTIC abuse charity which says it has seen its funding “cut over and over again” has won an award and funding from a charitable foundation.

Family Help Darlington, which provides safe, temporary accommodation for women and children along with 24-hour support services, has won a Weston Charity Award from the Garfield Weston Foundation.

It will now receive a grant of £6,500, along with strategic support to deal with the increasingly complex needs of victims of domestic abuse and other matters such as policy changes and new regulatory responsibilities.

The foundation is a grant making trust and last year gave away more than £58m to 1,800 charities in grants.

Family Help Darlington provides a helpline and programmes aimed at helping women build awareness, self-esteem and confidence to move on and start their lives again.

Last year it marked its 40th anniversary and with demand for its services growing it is hoped it can support even more women and children to escape physical and emotional abuse.

The award win will allow senior staff at the charity to access help from the foundation’s partner organisation Pilotlight.

Pilotlight runs a year-long business mentoring programme helping charity and social enterprise leaders to develop their skills, strengthen their organisation and increase its impact.

Carole Clarkson, chief executive of Family Help Darlington, said: “Over the years we have seen our funding cut over and over again.

“At the same time, we have seen the demand for our services and the complex needs of our clients continue to grow.

“We hope that by working with Pilotlight, through the Weston Charity Awards, that we can strengthen our strategies and business plans, and help our organisation become more robust and better prepared for the future. We are delighted to have been selected as an award winner.

Philippa Charles, a director at the Garfield Weston Foundation, said: “We are living through a period of unprecedented change.

“Charities must be resilient and sustainable if they are to support people through such disruptive times.

“The better prepared charities are, the better placed they are to deliver the support needed. It is quite literally a case of adapt or die.

“This is why the Weston Charity Awards help charities become stronger, more effective and fit for the future.”