Relate Greater Manchester South launches appeal to fund relationship support
A staggering 2.87 million  people across the UK are living in relationships which would be described within clinical practice as distressed, according a new study by Relate, the UK’s leading relationships charity. This equates to 18% of married or cohabiting couples and 1.4 million UK families at breaking point.

Today, Relate Greater Manchester South (GMS) launches its new appeal, Breaking Point, calling for donations to help subsidise their vital services.

Relate GMS is concerned that the relationships of many families in Manchester, Stockport, Salford, Tameside & Trafford are under intense pressure. The charity helps clients every year, providing services including couple counselling, family counselling, children and young people’s counselling and mediation. However, they say there are far more families who could benefit from their support if more funding was available. 

The appeal was created in conjunction with the national Relate charity. The statistics are taken from Relate’s report, Relationship Distress Monitor, which is published today and based on new analysis of data from the UK household longitudinal study, Understanding Society. The research looked at key questions from a validated scale to measure relationship quality. These included how often couples argued, how frequently they considered separation or divorce, the extent of unhappiness in their relationship and how often they regretted being in their relationship.

Mother of four, Julia Darbyshire, 47, attended Relate with her husband, Andy, 47, when their relationship reached breaking point. Julia said:  

“We went to Relate when the pressures of work and childcare were impacting on our relationship. We were arguing a lot and our eldest son was noticing that we were at logger heads. We had hit a real rocky patch but with the support of our counsellor, we were able to turn things around.

“Speaking to somebody objective was very helpful. Since attending the counselling sessions, things have really improved and we’ve gone on to have another two children together. We now feel we communicate more effectively and have the tools we need to address any issues that come up. I’d urge anyone to donate to Relate- I think it’s so important that everyone can access support for their relationships, not just people who can afford it. Unhappy relationships can have a terrible effect on couples and their children but it doesn’t have to be that way.”

 Polly Sangar at Relate GMS said:

“It is hugely concerning that so many UK families are at Breaking Point. We know from our own work at Relate GMS that the relationships of families in the area are under increasing pressure. We see first-hand in our counselling rooms how broken and unhealthy relationships can lead to debt, loneliness, health problems, depression, homelessness, criminality and can have a profound effect on children’s life chances.

“Families can’t go on like this. We need to make sure that Relate’s services are available to everyone, not just those who can afford them, but we can’t do so unless we get donations to subsidise the cost. That’s why we are launching our Breaking Point appeal today, calling on people to donate to us to help families find the answer that’s right for them, as with Relate’s support a breaking point can become a turning point.”

· To donate to Relate, please www.relate.org.uk/donate

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