Cheshire and Merseyside's Rape and Sexual Assault Support Centre (RASASC) has received a £10k donation from Cheshire Constabulary.

This is part of a week-long Christmas initiative fronted by Chief Constable Mark Roberts. 

It is day four of the Cheshire Constabulary in the Community charity project, in which Chief Constable Mark Roberts is set to donate a share of £50k to six Cheshire charities and organisations that put the people of Cheshire first. 

One of the organisations that is set to benefit from this initiative is Cheshire and Merseyside's Rape and Sexual Assault Support Centre (RASASC). 

With offices in Chester, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Halton, Northwich, Macclesfield and Warrington, the group provides free community-based support that is tailored towards the needs of people affected by sexual violence.

They work in partnership with local authorities, such as Cheshire Constabulary and NHS England. 

The team work to improve society's awareness of the prevalence and consequences of sexual violence, as well as helping to challenge common myths and unhelpful perceptions surrounding rape and sexual assault. 

Today, Thursday 19 December, Director of Operations Julie Evans was presented with a cheque for £10k by Chief Constable Roberts and Cheshire Constabulary. 

Chief Constable Mark Roberts said: "Being a victim of any kind of crime can be frightening and upsetting, but rape and sexual assault are distressingly personal acts that can have long-lasting effects on victims and their wider families and can require specialised support to process the incident and to work through it to recovery. 

"We treat all reports of sexual abuse extremely seriously, and any report is thoroughly investigated, with the wishes and needs of the victim being our main priority.

"To that end, I have always been an advocate for the work RASASC conducts in supporting victims and their families in the face of horrendous circumstances as it is absolutely critical and exemplifies what reassurance and guidance we collectively want to offer as a force. 

"I am delighted to present the team at Cheshire and Merseyside RASASC with this cheque for £10k on behalf of Cheshire Constabulary, that I know will be put to good use in the coming year." 

Julie Evans, director of operations for Cheshire and Merseyside RASASC, added: "We are delighted to receive this kind donation, and we will use the funds to provide additional counselling support for the women, men and children who access our service. 

"RASASC is a Cheshire-based charity that provides an information line, counselling and independent sexual violence advisors across all parts of Cheshire. 

"The service is free of charge and works with men, women and children who have been affected by rape and or sexual assault.

"It doesn't matter whether it happened recently or in the past, we are here to help." 

RASASC can be contacted on 0330 363 0063 or via their website here.