High Peak plasterer launches charity helping domestic abuse survivors rebuild lives

Naima Ben-Moussa, of the Lady In Red Plastering Service, launched a crowdfunding campaign last year to fund repairs on the home of a woman who was trying to make a fresh start with her three children after enduring a decade of abuse.

With help from coverage in the local and national media, the idea captured the imagination of internet users and went viral. It has so far raised more than £72,000 for similar projects, and Naima has used all that goodwill and generosity to establish Rebuilding Lives UK.

She said: “It started out with one survivor but it’s not just her suffering from domestic abuse, and I realised there’s nothing there to support other people in the process of removing a perpetrator and funding the cost of damages to their home.

“I went on Jeremy Vine’s Radio 2 show and put out a call for help to come forward and help, and it generated a lot of interest.”

It has taken six months to formally establish the charity, which will initially concentrate on helping women in Greater Manchester and surrounding areas.

Naima said: “It’s taken time to get everything in place before we can start work, but we now have all the safeguarding and referral systems in place and teams of tradespeople ready to go.

“We’ve got a big organisation donating materials, all the insurance in place and the next step is to get into people’s homes and help as many survivors as possible.”

She added: “I’m just a plasterer and I’ve never done anything like this before so I’ve learned a lot, but our trustees and other supporters have been great.

“As a survivor myself, I was still struggling with my own pain and trauma at the start, but this whole process has helped me heal. Getting to know other people who are trying to help survivors has helped me too. It’s very positive and empowering.”

One of Naima’s biggest supporters has been the financier First Enterprise, a community development finance institution backed by the UK Government’s British Business Bank which lends to small business, entrepreneurs and social enterprises unable to borrow from high street banks. First Enterprise put Naima on a path to success with a £3,500 start-up loan.

Operations manager Victoria Copestake said: “We have a long tradition of supporting female tradespeople in male dominated industries. It’s been a pleasure to support Naima and to see how things have grown.”

Richard Bearman, of the British Business Bank, added: “We are proud to see Naima thriving since taking the step to start her own business, and wish her every success as she continues to grow it into an inspiring philanthropic venture.”

Monetary donations can be made via www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/naimaredbenmoussa.

For more information on First Enterprise, see www.first-enterprise.co.uk.

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