Swindon charity's first ever online auction raises £8,500

Society Without Abuse supports children following domestic abuse trauma

SWA staff with the winner of an auction lot
Author: Faye TryhornPublished 24th Apr 2025

A Swindon charity's raised over £8,500 through their first ever online auction.

The money brought in for Society Without Abuse (SWA) is the equivalent cost of supporting 43 children locally to recover from the trauma of domestic abuse.

The '50 For 50' auction saw fifty prizes go up for sale, to mark the 50th year of the organisation.

Donated lots included a diamond encrusted, mother of pearl watch, exclusive artwork by the Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire, tickets to music events, private flights over the county, money-can’t-buy activities, meals out, beauty treatments and champagne.

Auction winner Pradeep Bhardwaj receives his painting by SWA Patron - Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire, Sarah Troughton

CEO of SWA, Kate Rowland, said: “The auction was incredibly exciting, with a number of last-minute bids coming in and increasing our total to over £8,500. A big thank you to everyone who donated prizes of all sizes or bid for one – your support was invaluable.

“This money will go directly to support the work of our Children and Young People’s Team, who work closely with schools and young people in our community to provide a specialist support service to young people who have experienced domestic abuse. They also deliver lessons and training in healthy relationships to school aged children and their teachers so that our next generation come to expect positive relationships throughout their life.

It could help us deliver our eight-week, age appropriate, trauma-informed support programme to 43 children in and around Swindon, or reach potentially thousands of young people through our work in schools as part of our HOPE Programme."

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