CAMPAIGNERS have appealed for help finding a place of refuge in Bournemouth where families devastated by violent crime can begin to rebuild their shattered lives.

The Victims of Crime Trust plans to set up one of the world's first dedicated respite centres in Southbourne, where traumatised families can come to relax and receive counselling to help them come to terms with their loss.

Grieving father John Berry, from Fontmell Magna, whose 16-year-old son David drowned when two teenagers pushed him off a bridge at Sturminster Newton, has backed the scheme, which has already been successfully trialled in Southbourne using rented accommodation.

And one of the first visitors to be invited to the Bournemouth centre would be Denise Fergus, mother of toddler James Bulger who was abducted and killed by two schoolboys in Liverpool in 1993.

Now the trust, which relies on public donations, is appealing for people to donate a home or help it raise the £1 million it needs to buy a property in Bournemouth big enough to house a permanent centre.

Operations director Clive Elliott said: "Murder destroys more than its victim's lives; it fragments families and devastates whole communities.

"We want to allow families to escape the community and their own homes where too many memories remind them of what happened."

Mr Elliott explained that the trust, which works with more than 350 families who have been bereaved through violent crime, chose Bournemouth as the location for one of three respite

centres it plans to launch in the UK because of its stunning beaches and relaxing atmosphere.

Family-run property business Bournecoast Ltd, which helped the trust find holiday flats to trial the scheme, is now helping it find a permanent site for the centre.

The trust, which visited Southbourne yesterday as part of its national tour to raise awareness about how badly it says the criminal system is failing victims, also plans to set up a resource centre where it would pioneer Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder counselling for anyone bereaved through violent crime.

For more information or to make a donation to the charity telephone 0870 8428467 or email info@victimsofcrimetrust.com.

First published: May 26