Walking on hot coals FOR REAL!

What does the phrase "Walking on hot coals" mean to you? According to the Collins Dictionary it means "A person that is involved in a volatile situation or predicament" and how better could you describe being in a toxic or abusive relationship?

When I was trying to find a way to raise funds for our BECBC Charity of the Year, The Freedom Project, the idea of a firewalk leapt out at me for this very reason.

So on 11^th July at the #BECBCTurns20 party I'll be doing just that and you're very welcome to join me or donate to help us raise as much as we can for this great cause. If you're in a situation where you can't donate money you can still help by spreading the word about this fantastic local charity who aim to eradicate domestic abuse in West Cumbria, an area where the data shows a higher than national average rate of domestic abuse. What I love about this charity is they work with everyone in the relationship acknowledging it's impossible to break the cycle unless you change things for everyone involved.

Coincidentally I'm doing this on my Nana's birthday. She passed away last year and it will be a lovely way to acknowledge her birthday. As she approached the end of her life she started talking to me about her paternal aunt who was beaten by her husband. When things got bad she would ring my Great Grandmother and they would all travel through on the bus from Whitehaven to Workington (not a short journey in those days!) to bring her back to safety. Unfortunately she returned many times to the relationship and, according to my Nana, was eventually killed by her husband. Historically there was a feeling that what happened behind closed doors was nobody's business and people struggled to talk about domestic abuse. Sometimes the victim was blamed, "why don't they just leave?" you'd hear people say if it was discussed. But it's not that easy and when domestic abuse happens in our community that's something that is an issue for us all.

So I hope you can join me in some way, completing the firewalk, donating funds or helping to spread the word about this fantastic charity. Let's work together to end domestic abuse in West Cumbria.

The firewalk will be supervised and training provided by The Fundraising Firewalk Association