"I CRIED when I found out it was closing." That was the response of one of the women who will be left without access to Quaker Services when Quaker Cottage closes in November after servicing North and West Belfast for 40 years.

Earlier this week, Quaker Services confirmed the closure of the site after a change in their contract with the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. 

Now, women who use the vital resource have launched a petition calling on Stormont to intervene and save the service. 

Deirdre McCausland has been a service user of Quaker Cottage for almost 10 years and only last week addressed MLAs at Stormont on the impact of domestic violence at an event organised by the Quakers as part of the KeepMUM project.

"I got the confidence, the bravery and the encouragement to speak out about my experience of domestic violence and how Quaker Cottage played a vital role in my healing process," she told the Andersonstown News.

"It was a platform for me to advocate change in the judicial system around the abuse of victims through the court process. 

"Quaker Cottage were great in helping me through art projects and I used to be a dancer so they encouraged me to tell my story through the medium of dance. 

"My pain cannot be in vain and everything that I endured, through the help of Quaker Cottage will help other people with their stories."

Deirdre told us that her son was one when she first attended Quaker Cottage. He went on to attend their creche and her daughter attended their after schools programme. The cross-community ethos of the group also led to her daughter opting to attend an integrated school. 

"You are with Quakers for the guts of three-quarters of a year and you attend twice a week with the bus picking you up and bringing you back," she continued.

"I was very blessed in that I was invited back and that rarely happens. They needed an extra person in the group and I got to go to Corrymeela with them twice."

Deirdre said that the announcement that the centre is to close made her feel like she had lost a limb.

"I would not be here if it wasn't for this organisation. I was referred to them because I was going through domestic violence. I felt I had nobody to turn to as I hid my domestic violence from others but Quaker Cottage created a safe space to openly discuss traumatic events with other mummies which gave me the courage to tell my family and friends.

"Through Quakers I got the opportunity to meet other women who had gone through a trauma and together we were given coping strategies, we were given support and we were made to feel worthy. 

"I had lost all of my sense of self-worth and Quakers restored me, they transformed me and made me believe in myself."

Leah Lindsay first attended Quaker Cottage as a child in the care system and now, at the age of 26, she has been attending as a mother.

"There is no other place like this. There are women here who have been in the care system and the Quakers have taught me things that I wouldn't have learnt anywhere else," she said.

"Ten years ago I attended as a child and now they are helping me as a mother. I was in a children's home and I wanted to be home with my mummy.

"She was a victim of domestic violence and the Quaker Service helped her get back on track and taught her things."

Pádraigín McKernan, who currently attends the centre, added that the closure will have a detrimental impact during the cost of living crisis.

"The Quakers provide us with hot food, there is someone to talk to with our mental health and they help us with our kids. It is going to have a major impact on women who will need these services in the future and it is going to have an impact on the women who are dealing with Social Services," she said.

"This is a gateway. When people mention Social Services, you often put your back up, but when Quakers come in, it makes it more comfortable. It is like a family."

This was a view echoed by Joanne Quigley who said: "We need a maricle. Mental health in Northern Ireland at the moment is a disgrace and no one thinks of the mothers who are having children and are going though domestic violence.

"There are women from all walks of life coming here and I dread to see the aftermath of this closure."

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Belfast Health Trust said: "Belfast Trust regrets the closure of Quaker’s Cottage which has provided considerable specialist support to service users in our care.

"We fully appreciate the efforts of those at Quaker’s Service and the positive relationships we developed over a lengthy working partnership. 

"Families in need of support will be signposted to other agencies, as has been the case since our Service Level Agreement with Quaker’s Service was mutually terminated in June 2022. 

"We would like to thank Quaker’s Service for the work they have carried out over the last 15 years."

To sign the petition to save Quaker Cottage click here.