Women who suffer at the hands of violent husbands or partners are often afraid to seek professional help. Now, a new project in the North-East is offering victims the chance to get support from women just like themselves. Sam Strangeways speaks to some of those involved.

THE future looked bleak for Clare when she was being regularly beaten black and blue by the man she loved. But the 41-year-old's violent treatment at the hands of her husband has led her down a career path she never thought possible.

Now separated from her husband, and after a stint in a refuge, Clare is one of a number of women who have volunteered to help others at a centre for victims of domestic abuse. And she has got so much out of her time there that she is now studying to become a full-time salaried support worker.

Not all the volunteers who help out at the Women's Support Network in Middlesbrough have been victims of domestic violence. In fact, their backgrounds are the least important thing about them. What matters most, according to project manager Alane Aitken, is that they have a passion for helping other women.

"Ordinary women who care are the ones who can make a difference," she says. "It's not necessary to have experienced domestic violence. What is necessary is to want to make things different for other women."

Volunteers who attend the centre in Saltersgill receive intensive training, primarily in how to listen and be non-judgemental.

"What happens with domestic violence is that the woman who has experienced it is often left with a sense of shame and blame and isolation," explains Alane. "She is often wary and scared of seeking help because she believes a lot of it is her fault or that society will judge her, so it's difficult for her to approach statutory organisations. Women don't particularly want to talk to professionals. They'd rather talk to other women who understand and can help them decide the best way forward."

The help these women are providing in their own time - both over the phone and in person - is desperately needed. Between March last year and this year, 5,525 incidents of domestic violence were reported to police on Teesside. Many more will have gone unreported. But the women at the centre say their involvement has helped them just as much as they have helped other women.

Jan, 38, tells how she was physically abused by her husband many years ago. She left him, but never sought help. A few months ago, she saw an advert asking for volunteers for the support network.

"I wanted to do it, but I was totally petrified," she says. "I came on the course and I didn't speak at all at first. But at the end of the course we had a weekend away and all the lasses said I had totally changed for the better. I'm more outspoken."

Karen Rumins, 44, a student from Middlesbrough, has no personal experience of domestic violence. But helping those who have has given her a boost in her own life.

"I like it when I'm talking to a woman and supporting a woman who walks in and says 'I'm nothing, I'm nobody'. I see her physically grow as the weeks go on, as she gets a sense of self worth. I really get a kick out of that."

For Clare - who was in a violent marriage for 14 years - the experience has been utterly life-changing. "Because I don't work and because I have got the time to do what I want, I have really made this a mission. I have now got my own clients who I support and I'm hoping to do this for a career eventually. Being here has helped me to focus immensely."

Women who visit or call the centre are offered a listening ear, practical help and information on how they can change their lives - if they want to. Everything which passes between volunteers and victims is confidential, unless it involves abuse of a child.

Lesley Mather, 33, from Middlesbrough, watched her mum being beaten by her father as a tiny child. Her parents split up when she five and she has never seen her father since.

"My mum was lucky to have the help of my grandparents so we could move away," she says. "But it had an impact on me and I have always wanted to do something regarding this type of thing.

"I had this big attitude before I started volunteering, thinking my mum went through that and there's no way I'd let myself be treated like that. But what you learn is that women can't always get up and leave. A lot of them still love their partners and just want the violence to stop."

Alane explains that although the ultimate aim of the network is to get women to leave abusive partners, it must be a decision they take themselves.

"There are lots of people telling women what to do to make their lives different. We don't. It's their path and we can't walk it. But we want women to have the best life they possibly can. That means knowing who they are and getting out of life what they want.

"One of the things that we say to women all the time is that if you go back to him or stay with him, it doesn't mean you can't come back to us. Anytime you need our support, ring us. We'll never judge."

The Women's Support Network runs day and evening courses for volunteers in Hartlepool, Guisborough, Redcar and Cleveland, Middlesbrough and Stockton. Anyone wanting to volunteer or needing help with a domestic violence issue should call (01642) 822331.