Transformed Oasis: Exploring the Vibrant Gardens and Children’s Haven at Women’s Aid NEL Refuge

At Women’s Aid NEL we have maintained a Refuge for women and children in need of emergency accommodation in Grimsby for over 40 years, which was refurbished in 2006.

The Refuge

The Refuge is a safe house where women and children fleeing from domestic abuse can live free from violence, in self-contained and fully equipped flats, each with living/dining room, a bathroom, a kitchen and two bedrooms.

We also have two bedsits for women with no children.

The quality and standard of the accommodation is superb, with access to a shared communal room, children’s room and gardens, including both a children’s area and a quiet adult garden.

The buildings and private areas within the refuge are accessed by security fob and have emergency alarms and CCTV installed covering the outside, doorways and internal corridors which are record 24 hours a day.

Your safety is our priority.

The Garden

But we really want to show you the work that’s been recently completed in the gardens, to make the space extra special and a place where children and adults alike can relax and enjoy life, safe from external pressures.

We want to make any stay in the Refuge, as comfortable and stress-free as possible for both adults and children, so we’ve gone to great lengths to make the place feel as fresh and vibrant as possible.

The wall art was recently completed for us by Linsey Powels, a local freelance artist, who has made our enclosed garden an oasis of colour and adventure, where residents can lose themselves in tranquil solitude or wild imagination!

The vibrant colours and wonderfully creative illustrations feed the imagination of our younger residents and make the gardens a place for adventure and relaxation and we can’t thank Linsey enough for the work she does for us.

As well as the gardens, we have excellent facilities for children who live at the refuge. They have their own activity room and space, fully equipped and staffed.

Children’s Facilities

Our children’s workers offer emotional and practical support to the children and organise activities, events, support sessions, children’s meetings and much more.

A timetable of activities is discussed on arrival and we can also support you as a family with new boundaries, routines, behaviours and any general parenting support.
The children’s service relies totally on fundraising and donations and this vital service gives children time to themselves and also allows the mums some time alone to receive support for themselves.

Support and Upkeep

Thanks to fundraising efforts we are able to take the children on outings, trips and days out as often as possible and try to organise communal events such as barbeques, Christmas parties, birthday parties and much more.

So that gives you a flavour of the gardens and children’s spaces and activities we facilitate at Refuge and hope it goes some way to demonstrating the lengths we go to to make any stay here as comfortable as possible.

You can find out more about Women’s Aid and the facilities and services we offer on our website and if you want to speak to anyone about any aspect of Domestic Abuse or the services you can access, our office hours are Monday to Friday 8.30am until 5pm, Saturday & Sunday 9am until 12noon.

Out of Hours

We operate an ‘on call’ system and are contactable on our easy to remember telephone number is Grimsby (01472) 575757.