A DORSET charity has received more than £140,000 of funding to help support children and adults who have been affected by domestic abuse.

Sexual Trauma and Recovery Services (STARS) Dorset has received donations of more than £70,000 from both BBC Children in Need and the National Lottery after the charity reported it had seen a 155 per cent increase in calls to its helpline in the months the country was in lockdown compared with the same period last year.

The charity supported more than 1,800 people in Dorset affected by sexual violence in 2019 and the additional funding will allow STARS to expand its services and develop a new programme of support for people who have experienced domestic abuse or lived in abusive households during lockdown.

The charity will partner with NuWaves, an organisation based in Weymouth that specialises in supporting children and families affected by domestic abuse, to deliver a recovery programme for children and young people in Dorset.

The programme will include group work, individual counselling and working with schools to help teachers recognise the signs of children affected by domestic abuse and to provide them with the necessary support.

The charity will also use the funding to develop a specialist counselling service which will be dedicated to adult victims of domestic abuse. Those that receive support will receive free weekly counselling sessions either online or face-to-face at the charity's centres in Weymouth, Dorchester and Poole.

STARS Dorset service manager Helen Stevens said: "We are delighted to receive this funding from both BBC Children in Need and the National Lottery Fund to expand our services to support both children and adults affected by domestic abuse in Dorset.

"During lockdown, the amount of people calling our support line increased dramatically and we hope this funding will help those that need it most with one-to-one counselling, group work and supporting teachers in schools across the county."

Anyone living, working or studying in Dorset can access the charity's counselling service by making a self-referral.

For more information, visit www.starsdorset.org or call the STARS Dorset helpline on 01202 308855.