Cherie Blair praises new women's refuge

The Prime Minister's wife met women and children at the centre before performing the opening ceremony at the town hall.

The refuge has been built by the Stonham Housing Association, working with the charity Family Help.

Last year the refuge in Darlington supported 81 women and 96 children for a total of 1,843 nights.

Workers hope the new centre will make it easier to provide a service for even more women in need.

Yesterday, Mrs Blair presented a silver key to the secretary of Family Help, Norma Town, to mark the opening of the scheme.

Mrs Blair said: "It is of vital importance that the refuge is kept a place of safety for the women and children who go there. I was very much delighted to be able to go and visit the refuge."

She went on: "I have visited a number of refuges around the country and many of them are in buildings that have been adapted - it makes such a difference to have a purpose-built building where the experts and women have got together and decided what they need."

Mrs Blair congratulated the new refuge on having facilities to suit women and children of all ages.

She said: "Domestic violence is something that affects women at all stages of their lives.

"This new refuge has facilities for young women, women with children and women who are elderly.

"It also has different facilities for children of different ages. As a mother of a three-year-old and teenagers I know how important it is for them sometimes to have space away from each other.

"We must not under-estimate the effect of domestic violence on children.

"In the vast majority of cases domestic violence takes place within the sight, or at least the hearing of children.

"Women who get away need help to build themselves up and need help for their children who are also affected by domestic violence - that help is what they are going to get in this new refuge."

"It's more than just having of roof over their ahead, it's a place where they can make a new start."