As you’ll be aware, unless you got lost down the back of the sofa in a horrible wrapping paper and sticky tape accident before Christmas, we’re auctioning off a very limited edition of twelve pre-production Model A boards (with accompanying goodies like T-shirts, signed books and an Adafruit Pi Plate) to raise money for twelve charities. Today, it’s my turn, and the charity I’ve selected is Refuge.

Typical pose. (Click to bid on Liz’s Model A.)

Refuge has led the campaign against domestic violence in the UK for the last 40 years, and they have grown to become the country’s largest single provider of specialist domestic violence services. On any given day they support over 2,000 women and children. Refuge also advocate for improvements to domestic violence policy and practice, and the implementation of legislation to meet the needs of abused women and children. Most of the charities I considered to benefit from the money we’re raising had mission statements which made me terribly sad; but the work Refuge has to undertake makes me sad and impotently angry. I have friends who have had to use their services; violence in the home happens to people just like you and me, but we’re skilled at turning a blind eye to something that’s so taboo we find it distasteful even discussing it. Our tendency to ignore domestic violence is tantamount to tolerating it.

I hope you’ll help Refuge keep doing the life-saving work it does by bidding on today’s auction.