Cheshire and Merseyside's Rape and Sexual Assault Support Centre has been given a huge financial boost.

Chief Constable Mark Roberts is donating a share of £50,000 to six worthy organisations this week as part of the Cheshire Constabulary in the Community charity project.

Today (Thursday, December 19) a cheque for £10,000 was handed over to Julie Evans, director of operations at Cheshire and Merseyside's RASASC, which has an office in Macclesfield.

Chief Constable Roberts said: "Being a victim of any kind of crime can be frightening and upsetting, but rape and sexual assault are distressingly personal acts that can have long-lasting effects on victims and their wider families and can require specialised support to process the incident and to work through it to recovery.

"We treat all reports of sexual abuse extremely seriously, and any report is thoroughly investigated, with the wishes and needs of the victim being our main priority.

"To that end, I have always been an advocate for the work RASASC conducts in supporting victims and their families in the face of horrendous circumstances as it is absolutely critical and exemplifies what reassurance and guidance we collectively want to offer as a force.

"I am delighted to present the team at Cheshire and Merseyside RASASC with this cheque for £10k on behalf of Cheshire Constabulary, that I know will be put to good use in the coming year."

Cheshire and Merseyside Rape and Sexual Assault Support Centre has an office in Macclesfield

The RASASC's core ethos is to provide free community-based support that is tailored towards the needs of people affected by sexual violence, working in partnership with local authorities, such as Cheshire Constabulary and NHS England. 

All members of the team are motivated towards raising society's awareness of the prevalence and consequences of sexual violence, as well as helping to challenge common myths and unhelpful perceptions surrounding rape and sexual assault. 

Ms Evans said: "We are delighted to receive this kind donation, and we will use the funds to provide additional counselling support for the women, men and children who access our service. 

"RASASC is a Cheshire-based charity that provides an Information Line, Counselling and Independent Sexual Violence Advisors across all parts of Cheshire. 

"The service is free of charge and works with men, women and children who have been affected by rape and or sexual assault. It doesn't matter whether it happened recently or in the past, we are here to help." 

RASASC can be contacted on 0330 363 0063 or via their website www.rapecentre.org.uk.