New Lancaster and Morecambe support group aims to help young male sex abuse victims

A group set up to help male survivors of childhood sex abuse is aiming to launch a branch in the Lancaster and Morecambe area.
Daniel Wolstencroft (left) with Billy Walden, one of the group's supporters.Daniel Wolstencroft (left) with Billy Walden, one of the group's supporters.
Daniel Wolstencroft (left) with Billy Walden, one of the group's supporters.

Shatter Boys UK was set up by Daniel Wolstencroft and already has groups in Manchester and Liverpool.

But thanks to support from Bentham woman Jayne Walden, a launch day for a local group has been organised for next month.

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Daniel said: “There’s a lack of support for males especially in rural areas. I thought I would come to the Lancaster and Morecambe area and set a group up.

“The aim is to launch a peer support group to build a survivors’ community which will offer both individual and online support.

“I want to be a role model for other people to help them to get on with their life. We want to focus on the positive.

“It’s about breaking the silence of childhood sexual abuse, especially among males, because a lot of people don’t want to touch the subject.

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“The main purpose is to encourage people to come forward to get support.”

The launch event at the Vale of Lune Rugby Club on Saturday June 24 will see up to 10 speakers talk about their experiences of sexual abuse as young boys and how they have moved forward with their lives.

There will also be a promotional event on Morecambe promenade on June 10.

Area manager Jayne Walden said: “Since volunteering for ShatterBoys I have never looked back.

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“I can see how it helps survivors of child sexual abuse and how it is actively removing the stigma attached to child sexual abuse and how damaging it can be if a child does not receive the right support and how manipulative an abuser can be whether this is turning people against the victim or fooling authorities.

“Daniel is successful in getting people involved who have never been affected by this crime but see the disastrous effects it has on a children and people just want to get involved to make a change.”

Sara Rowbotham, the crisis intervention team coordinator who was instrumental in helping to uncoverthe Rochdale child sexual explotation scandal recently depicted in the BBC drama Three Girls, was this week named as a new ambassador of Shatter Boys.

For more information on Shatter Boys UK go to https://shatterboysuk.wordpress.com/ or for more on the local event, go to Shatter Boys UK Recovery Lancaster And Rural Launch on Facebook.