Police and Crime Commissioner John Tizard has visited a Luton arts project that uses poetry, technology and survivor testimony to expose the hidden impact of domestic abuse.
He met creators Nine Red Presents at Wardown House as part of the national 16 Days of Action campaign, which urges communities to confront violence taking place behind closed doors.
The installation, called Our House: Behind Closed Doors, turns the building into a symbolic advent calendar. QR codes are placed behind miniature doors and windows, linking visitors to survivor stories, poetry, practical advice, and details of local support services.
The project is one of more than 40 community schemes backed through the PCC’s Grassroots Innovation Fund, after a strong response from local charities working on safety and prevention.
Deputy PCC Umme Ali said the work showed how creativity could cut through stigma and help people understand the reality of abuse.
She said: “This project is a powerful example of creativity driving social change. It gives survivors a voice challenges stigma and helps communities understand the realities of domestic abuse. I am proud that through our Grassroots Innovation Fund we are supporting Nine Red Presents (CIC) and other organisations to deliver meaningful work during the 16 Days of Action and beyond.”
Nine Red CEO, Debra Knight, said: “Our House: Behind Closed Doors was created so no one has to carry their story alone. Having the PCC and Deputy PCC walk through the space and really listen to survivors felt like a genuine commitment to change not just a photo opportunity.
“Nine Red is supporting the 16 Days because domestic and sexual abuse are still happening every day in our communities often in silence and creativity can open doors that conversations alone cannot. The hope is that someone who encounters this work will feel less alone more able to reach out for support or more confident to stand beside someone living with abuse.”
Alongside Nine Red’s installation, the PCC is funding a series of workshops across Bedfordshire in partnership with the Bedfordshire Domestic Abuse Partnership. The sessions will use poetry, art therapy, mentoring, light and sound to support survivors, women, children and minority ethnic groups.
Other projects receiving support include a self defence programme for women led by Samson’s Academy, an awareness campaign for pregnant women by Home Start Bedfordshire, a trauma support scheme by Stepping Stones and a Volunteer It Yourself project redecorating a Luton Women’s Aid house through skills training for young people who are not in work or education.
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