Her Majesty The Queen visited Wiltshire this week to learn firsthand about the county's efforts to tackle violence against women and girls.
The visit, which took place on Monday, 24th February, brought together representatives from across Wiltshire, including law enforcement, the judiciary, domestic abuse organisations, business leaders, and members of the public.
The Queen met with Lady Lansdowne, chair of the Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG) coalition, established last year to bring together diverse stakeholders dedicated to addressing the issue.
Following constructive dialogue, the group has also joined Wiltshire Police's Independent Advisory Group, providing valuable insights to improve services for victims and communities.
A particularly poignant moment of the visit was a private meeting between The Queen and Carole and Matthew Gould, the parents of Ellie Gould, who was tragically murdered by her ex-boyfriend in Calne in 2019. The Goulds have since become tireless advocates for stricter domestic abuse laws.
Chief Constable Catherine Roper said, "It was a huge honour to present to Her Majesty The Queen the progress being made by Wiltshire Police to tackle violence against women and girls.
"That progress has only been possible through the improved trust and confidence from victims, their families, community members, and partner agencies in the policing service we are offering, and in our commitment to robustly tackling this heinous criminality."
Wiltshire Police highlighted key improvements in their performance, including a significant rise in rape convictions from 50% in January 2024 to 82% in December 2024. Furthermore, reported stalking offences have increased by 46% in the past year, attributed to enhanced staff training, leading to higher arrest rates for both stalking and domestic abuse offences.
Stalking incidents have seen a 50.4% increase, while domestic abuse reports have risen to 49.1%, a 2.6% increase compared to 2023.
Temporary Detective Superintendent Lucy Thorne added, "I'm thrilled that we could welcome Her Majesty to hear about the hard work that Wiltshire Police have been carrying out to improve our service to victims and communities.
"We know that continuous focus and improvement is needed to strengthen our response to VAWG, and the Force has been working closely with some fantastic people who are dedicated to ending violence against women and girls. It has been an honour to share this moment with them to be able to present to Her Majesty, who has consistently shown her own absolute commitment to eradicating VAWG, the considerable efforts being made across Wiltshire."
Hetti Barkworth-Nanton CBE, Chair of Refuge, echoed the sentiment, stating: "Achieving much-needed system-wide improvements to the response to domestic abuse and violence against women and girls requires not just a national approach but a local one to ensure real and genuine progress that directly impacts on victims and our communities.
"I am delighted to be part of the Wiltshire EVAWG program, and the support of Her Majesty The Queen means a huge amount. This will enable us to amplify our work and get more and more of the wider community involved."
Vice Chair of EVAWG Wiltshire, and Chair of Society Without Abuse, Nicky Alberry, said:
"Over the last year, we’ve driven real change—prevention programmes in schools, critical support for
survivors, advocacy at local and national level, and stronger partnerships to accelerate impact.
Together, we can end domestic abuse and sexual violence in Wiltshire.”
Jennie Shaw, co-founder of EVAWG Wiltshire and Director of Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust, reinforced
the importance of collaboration:
"We are delighted to have had this opportunity to brief Her Majesty the Queen on our mission and
progress made to date. Our meeting highlights the power of united action. Through partnership
working and with continued commitment, we are creating lasting change for individuals, families,
and communities and we will not stop until we have eradicated gender-based abuse and violence."
Addressing the stark reality that only 2% of UK charitable giving supports women and girls, Wiltshire
Community Foundation updated on the launch of their Women and Girls Fund. Joint CEO Fiona
Oliver said:
"Through our Women and Girls Fund we are already supporting a range of organisations delivering
vital projects: Salisbury Women’s Refuge; Fear Free; Escapeline; Mighty Girls; First Light; All Yours
Period Box and Society Without Abuse. These critical organisations provide safety, care, dignity, and
hope—essentials every woman and girl deserve.”
The Foundation also supports women and girls through their bursaries, vocational grants and start-
up funding for young entrepreneurs. Providing hope of financial independence, a future with choices
and freedom to make those choices.
If you are interested in finding out more about the EVAWG Wiltshire Group or becoming a supporter
of the Women and Girls Fund, please call Wiltshire Community Foundation on 01380 729284 or
email
Other people and organisations who attended the event were the Lord Lieutenant Dame Sarah Troughton, the High Sheriff Dr. Olivia Chapple, Sarah Gibson MP for Chippenham, Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust, Society without Abuse, Wiltshire Justice Board, Family Court Swindon, Swindon Family Court, Wansbroughs Solicitors, Wiltshire Community Foundation, businessman James Phipps, Salisbury Women’s Refuge, and Simon Cowley from White Horse Federation Multi Academy Trust.
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