Victims of sexual abuse look set to lose a local lifeline, following Southend Council's refusal to fund a vital support group.

The Sexual Abuse Mums Support Group (SAMS), based in Queens Road, Southend, set up 11 years ago, has helped hundreds to cope with the trauma of sexual abuse within the family.

Southend Council has refused its bid for £44, 249, forcing it to close - unless money can be found from elsewhere.

The group is the only one of its kind in Britain, and so well regarded that Southend social services, the NSPCC, Victim Support and the Child Protection Unit at Rayleigh regularly refer clients for counselling.

Colin George, the secretary of Southend Citizens Advice Bureau, said: "It is a specialist group and only it has that specialist knowledge.

"I would be very sorry if they were forced to close because it would take away this specialist field."

Jill Trueman founded the group after learning of someone sexually abused by a close family member.

At the time, there was no support service for relatives of victims, so she started her own - only to be inundated with calls.

Since then, the group has expanded to support other family members, including non-abusing fathers.

It supports clients in legal proceedings, supervises contact between children and their parents, and liaises with social services and police.

The organisation began in Jill's spare room, with a £250 start-up grant, but it is now based in a five-bedroomed house in Queens Road.

She says she was devastated by the news: "It has been very emotional for everyone. We can't afford to carry on, but for the people undergoing therapy, we have to carry on."

The money needed was for the organisation's running costs and salaries of a coordinator and administrator.

A council spokesman said: "Unfortunately it is difficult for us to comment on this particular situation at the moment, as SAMS has not contacted us with its concerns.

"We will be contacting all groups which have not been allocated a grant, offering an opportunity to discuss the reasons for refusal and to give advice on any further opportunities to bid for money.

"The council is committed to promoting and assisting voluntary organisations in their work as we recognise the valuable services they provide for residents.

"Organisations have to meet a number of criteria which are used to assess their grant applications, and so far this year we have allocated over £400,000 in grants alone to a wide range of voluntary groups in the borough."

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