John Lewis partners raise £5,373 for Survive in memory of late colleague
Susan Cory, who worked at York branch, was also a former trustee at Survive.

Partners at the York branch of John Lewis have come together to raise funds in memory of their late colleague, Susan Cory, who died in April 2021. The partners carried out a number of activities including the sale of end-of-season lines for the charity which their late colleague was trustee for and supporter of, as she had recovered from her own experiences of Child Sexual Abuse.

Lorna Savage, John Lewis Partner and Team Manager, said “We are delighted to be able to donate to Survive York to continue to support local people in the community. Survive York is a charity very close to our hearts as one of our dear partners, who worked very closely with the charity, recently passed away. We are extremely thankful that we could support Survive and look forward to seeing how Waitrose York and Survive work together in the future.”

Survive has been supporting Survivors of sexual violence for more than 30 years and recently reported a surge in demand for its specialist services since the first pandemic eased.

Mags Godderidge, Chief Executive Officer, said, “Susan was a former trustee at Survive. We are so grateful for the contribution she made to Survive as a trustee and former treasurer. We were saddened to hear that she had died at such a young age and our thoughts are with her partner, Simon. Last year, we delivered our specialist services to 544 survivors of sexual violence, more than in any other year in Survive’s 30-year history and that demand has not gone away. This donation will truly make a difference and enable Survive to deliver more Support Work, Counselling and Trauma Therapy to more survivors like Susan and help them rebuild their lives, relationships and reach their potential.”

A further £545 was raised for Survive in Susan’s memory at lovetodonate.co.uk.

Simon Cooper, Susan’s life-long partner, said, “Susan was very open about her survivor history as she understood the importance of raising awareness of the impact of Child Sexual Abuse and the work Survive did to help people recover from their experiences. I would like to thank all those involved in raising these funds in her memory and I hope any survivors reading this will be encouraged to seek help from Survive and start to move forward with their lives as Susan was able to do. She showed that you can have a happy, fulfilling life after such a traumatic childhood”

Earlier this year, Survive launched a Helpline for adults affected directly or indirectly by sexual violence. It operates from 4pm-8pm on Mondays and Tuesdays. Callers can speak in confidence to specially trained listeners and do not need to give their name. The freephone Helpline number is: 0808 145 1887.

Donations to Survive can be made at:survive-northyorks.org.uk/donate/ or via justgiving.com/campaign/SurviveCovid-19RecoveryAppeal