A CHARITY shop has opened in Salisbury that will help a cause which does not receive much backing because of its difficult subject matter.

Safe is a national charity based in Salisbury that was set up to support survivors of sadistic abuse. Sue Hutchinson, a survivor of satanic and ritual abuse, founded it in 1989 to help people who suffered traumatic mistreatment in their childhood.

Eve, who has set up the Charity Corner shop in Winchester Street and prefers not to use her surname, has heard of some horrific cases in her time working for Safe.

She said: "It's often quite hard to get backers and donations. People tend to back off when they know what the charity is in aid of - they would rather believe that abuse like this doesn't happen."

Eve came to Salisbury in 1992 to work for Mindline. She was then recruited by Safe and trained by Sue Hutchinson. Most of the survivors she has spoken to live in fear and many are too scared to leave their homes.

She said: "Usually these children are groomed from the day they're born and they are not allowed to play with other children unless their abuser is using them to lure other children."

Safe, which is entirely funded by donations, runs a helpline and a quarterly magazine, but is in need of volunteers trained in counselling.

Eve, who is trained as a mental health advocate and a counsellor, said: "When we get volunteers for the helpline they don't always last very long. Often they can't deal with what they hear and they burn out."

Charity Corner opened last week and will be open Monday-Saturday from 10am to 4pm selling clothes, books, jewellery, toys and more.

Safe would appreciate any donations to the shop and any money made will go to supporting the charity's work.

To get in touch with Safe, call 01722 410889 or write to Safe, PO Box 1557, Salisbury, SP1 2TP.