Earlier today (Friday 14 June), we unveiled The Washing Line Project in Barnsley Market, a unique art installation designed to start a conversation about domestic abuse in Barnsley. 

Made up of T-shirts adorned with motivational quotes and personal stories, the installation has been created to shine a light on often overlooked domestic abuse statistics. 

The 132 T-shirts hung up as part of this limited-time exhibition represent the number of individual domestic abuse cases reported to the Police every week in Barnsley. 

Over the past few weeks, we have worked closely with our supportive, resilient communities to create The Washing Line Project. Each T-shirt on display has been crafted by local people, including survivors of domestic abuse and their loved ones, and our commissioned providers. 

The Washing Line Project, which will be on display in Barnsley Market until Friday 5 July, aims to raise awareness of the profound effects of abuse and violence. 

By honouring the resilience of local survivors and offering them a platform to bravely speak out about their experiences, we hope to kickstart more conversations about the support that’s available to help people in Barnsley. 

Anna Hartley, Executive Director for Public Health and Communities, said: “We’re committed to tackling and preventing domestic abuse in Barnsley, working with our partners to help anyone affected by abuse or violence to benefit from the right support for them 

“It’s great to see our teams taking a different approach to starting conversations about domestic abuse with The Washing Line Project. This installation allows guests to take a moment to reflect on the effects of abuse and learn more about the brilliant support we have in Barnsley. 

“I would like to encourage everyone to come down and explore the personal stories and motivational quotes on display for themselves.” 

In Barnsley, we’re committed to working with our partners to tackle and prevent domestic abuse, helping people to recover from abuse and rebuild their lives. If you’re looking for support, we have a range of commissioned partners who are here to help you: 

• IDAS provides support and accommodation to victims and survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence. They offer a wide range of support, including one-to-one support, support groups and their online live chat. Find out more on their website or call 03000 110 110 if you need support. 
• Barnsley Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Services (BSARCS) are here to help anyone who has experienced sexual harm. Find out more about the support they offer on their new website or call 01226 320140. 
• Our partners at GROW will soon be launching their new Survivors Voice service, empowering survivors of domestic abuse and helping them find their place in society. We will be sharing more information about this service in the coming weeks. 
• Cranstoun’s Inspire to Change programme helps to challenge perpetrators of domestic abuse to take responsibility for their behaviour and learn from their actions.