The scourge of domestic violence and forced marriage is one that can leave women feeling trapped in a situation over which they have no control and, seemingly, no escape from.

Women who are suffering abuse at home or are forced into relationships against their will feel they cannot bear to remain in them but very often have nowhere to go, and fear retribution should they attempt to flee.

So initiatives such as Bradford’s Anah Project, which helps women in the ethnic minority community, offer a lifeline to those women by showing them they do not have to put up with their situation – and by giving them help to escape, stay safe, and re-adjust.

The Anah Project was awarded more than £285,000 from the Big Lottery Fund at the end of 2012 and since then, say the organisers, the charity has quite literally changed the lives of many women right here in Bradford.

Initiatives such as the Anah Project rely on the kindness of others to continue – not only the Big Lottery Fund, in this case, but also donations from the private sector, including Lloyds TSB and Henry Smith.

This funding is, of course, not only welcome – it is vital for this and other projects to continue their much-needed work.

It does seem a shame, though, that such important work must be financed through grants and funding from companies. Given that the Anah Project is changing – and, perhap,s actually saving – lives, it would be nice to think their future could be guaranteed from longer-term and more structured funding from the Government.