Four pitch for Victim Support helpline task

Victim Support has asked four agencies to pitch for a campaign to publicise a new helpline, funded by a 1m Government grant.

The agencies – DMB&B, Maher Bird Associates, Abbott Mead Vickers.BBDO and Leybourne Brown Maclean – are awaiting a decision.

The campaign to publicise the telephone helpline, which is due to launch in February, will be Victim Support’s first national ad push since 1993. The charity also aims to raise awareness of the organisation.

Funding for the helpline and campaign will come from a 1m grant awarded by the Government in June, as part of its attempt to tackle all aspects of crime.

“Most of our referrals come from the police but there are lots of people – especially victims of domestic violence and racial harassment – who are too frightened to report the crime. The helpline will allow them to get in touch immediately,” says a Victim Support spokesperson.

Victim Support was set up in 1979 to offer practical advice to the victims of crime on a national basis, following the merger of a number of local support organisations.