'I survived a sex attack, but I can't go out at night'

Claire (not her real name) used Savana's counselling service before it closed. She told the BBC they helped her get through the trial of the men who attacked her

A woman who was drugged, kidnapped and raped has said she would have struggled without the help of a now-closed support charity.

Claire, not her real name, was one of 2,000 people supported by Savana before it shut in Stoke-on-Trent after 40 years, having been unable to secure the funds to continue.

Claire says the charity was crucial because she underestimated the impact the attack would have on her, despite seeing the two men who attacked her sent to prison.

West Mercia Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (WMRSASC), has warned more charities will close if the government doesn't fund the sector, but the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) says it is committed to supporting victims of crime.

Claire says the closure of Savana, in April, has left a huge hole to fill in Staffordshire, and without its support she's not sure what she would have done after the attack.

"I wasn't sleeping, wasn't eating, I was really angry all the time. I was crying, then I started drinking. I started vaping when I don't even smoke, having bad dreams, it was just horrific," she remembers.

Jocelyn Anderson, from West Mercia Rape Crisis Centre, describes services as being "battered and eroded" by funding cuts, and worries about the future of support they can deliver to survivors

Jocelyn Anderson runs WMRSASC, which works across Worcestershire and Herefordshire, and says there are now 800 people on their waiting list for therapy and, after a funding cut of 47% from the MoJ, demand is outstripping supply.

"We have cut services to the bone. We are constantly being battered, and eroded," she said.

Ms Anderson warns funding cuts mean more could follow adding that, in her view, it's unlikely the government will deliver on its promise to halve violence against women and girls in the next decade.

That view was echoed in June, when Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales, Dame Nicole Jacobs, and Victims Commissioner for England and Wales, Baroness Newlove, warned Sir Keir Starmer the government was likely to miss the target without significant further investment.

Charlotte Almond, CEO Staffordshire Women's Aid says the charity had to step in when Savana closed in April

Claire remains concerned about the impact of Savana's closure will have on other survivors.

The charity helped her right through the trial process, giving her the confidence, she explained, to read out her victim impact statement in court during the sentencing hearing of her attackers.

"They gave me strength to carry on and do what I needed to do, and be brave," she said.

"I hope doing it, it's helped other people, because it's scary isn't it?"

Charlotte Almond, Staffordshire Women's Aid, said the news of Savana's closure was a "huge shock".

But, she said she wanted to reassure people in Stoke they are now running sexual violence support services in Hanley, and have taken on some staff from Savana.

In a statement, the MoJ told the BBC: "We are resolute in our mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.

"We have maintained 2024-25 funding levels for ringfenced sexual violence and domestic abuse support this year."