VICTIMS of domestic abuse in parts of the North-East will get help to lead more independent lives thanks to one of the largest ever Big Lottery grants awarded to a regional organisation.

Harbour said the £745,000 grant would enable it to provide more than just a "sticking plaster" for women and girls fleeing abuse.

The charity, which runs services in Darlington, Teesside, Durham and North Tyneside and helps 2,500 victims each year, has won the funding to provide follow-up services for abused women.

Business development manager Caren Barnfather said: "Due to the funding we currently receive we can provide a level of service which is a bit like an accident and emergency, so we can help in a crisis and provide support for a week or two.

"But it's sometimes like just putting a sticking plaster on a wound and giving them some medicine, rather than treating the injury itself.

"What we really need to do is more work with them to help them lead more independent lives, free from abuse."

The grant is from the Big Lottery Fund's Women and Girls Initiative and will help Harbour expand its service across the region.

Chief Executive Lesley Gibson added: "This funding means we can provide an extended recovery service to women, enabling them to sustain changes in their lives and achieve their full potential.

"We do offer a support service now for clients but it has to be time limited due to funding constraints and all too often women experience further abuse."

A Way Out also received funding which will enable it to build upon their established track record of outreach and empowerment amongst socially excluded and marginalised women, young people and families in Stockton.

Chief executive Jane Harmer said: “We have listened to the women currently on our case load and there are two sentiments that prevail – grateful appreciation for the life changing work that A Way Out undertakes, and heartfelt reflection from the women themselves in wishing they had been able to engage with A Way Out when they were younger – at an age before their lives became entrenched in the cycle of addiction and sex work."

The Big Lottery Women & Girls initiative aims to empower women and girls to take control of their lives.