Hollyoaks actor joins Leighton Buzzard charity’s plea to give children escaping abuse a fun day out

The campaign, ‘Buy one more ticket’, asks people to imagine buying just one extra ticket for the cinema, a day out, a theme park, or the zoo, for a child who would otherwise not have anything to look forward to this summer.

The charity says school holidays can be especially difficult for hundreds of children currently living in women’s refuges across the UK. Many have fled domestic abuse with their mum, leaving behind their home, toys, friends and familiar routines – often with little more than the clothes they were wearing.

While many children return to school talking about holidays, day trips and family fun, children who have escaped abuse can face a very different summer.

The charity supports over 600 women’s refuges throughout the UK, and give children who have experienced trauma the chance to feel safe, valued and included.

Their summer campaign is built around a simple message: “At Christmas children ask: ‘What did you get?’ After summer they ask: ‘What did you do?’”

Through Buy One More Ticket, donations will help provide positive experiences for the children and young people, living in refuge after fleeing domestic abuse.

Chief executive of KidsOut, Catherine Kirk, said: “Many children in refuge have witnessed or experienced frightening things no child should ever have to face.

"For a child who has had to leave everything behind, a fun activity can mean so much to them. It can be the first time in a long while they have laughed, played, and felt like every other child.

"Giving them something to look forward to and something happy to talk about when they go back to school, can make a real difference to their wellbeing.”

Hollyoaks actor, Malique Thompson Dwyer, an ambassador for the charity, said: “This campaign is incredibly important because children and young people who have fled abuse are often carrying fear, confusion and trauma that most of us can scarcely imagine.

"They may have left their home, their belongings and their sense of safety behind. Buy One More Ticket is about restoring a little bit of childhood. It tells these children they have not been forgotten; that they deserve joy, and that there are people across Bedfordshire who want them to have the happy memories every child should have.”

Domestic abuse remains a major issue in the UK, with thousands of incidents recorded by police each year. But charities warn the true scale is far higher, with many women never reporting abuse.

KidsOut hopes the campaign will encourage the public to make a small gesture with a big impact, helping children in refuge experience the simple joy of a fun summer activity .

People can donate to the campaign by visiting the website.

The campaign is also asking workplaces to get involved. Teams can swap a few takeaway lunches or coffees for homemade lunchboxes and office coffee, then donate what they would have spent towards giving children in refuge a fun day out. It is a simple idea, but it can make a real difference.

A spokesperson said: “A day out will not erase trauma. It will not replace a home, a school, a pet or the belongings left behind. It will not solve the financial hardship many families face after fleeing abuse. But it can give a child a happy memory at a time when happy memories may be in short supply.”