STARS Dorset
Supporting survivors towards recovery and striving for a society free from abuse.
STARS Dorset is a pan-Dorset charity providing free, specialist counselling, Independent Sexual Violence Adviser (ISVA), group work, and Children and Young People (CYP) services to survivors of sexual violence and domestic abuse who live in the county; our Engagement Team offer educational and preventative initiatives throughout the community to educate, raise awareness, and advocate towards our vision: a society free from abuse.
Established in 1988 as a helpline for rape survivors in East Bournemouth, STARS has grown and evolved to match the needs of the county and supported 2,820 people across our services in 2025.
Alongside our support, our Engagement Team recently collaborated with local agencies such as Dorset Police to develop a Harmful Sexual Behaviour (HSB) Framework to help professionals identify and respond to problematic and abusive behaviours in children and young people, preventing and protecting youth from peer-on-peer violence.
How Your Support Helps
Register for the Bournemouth Inflatable 5k under the Upcoming Events heading below and run, jump, and bounce to raise funds and awareness for our vital services. If entries are sold out, please visit UK Running Events' website to book your space (prices start at £29.50).
STARS Dorset is reliant on the generosity of people like you to continue delivering our trauma-informed services free-of-charge to nearly 3,000 survivors annually and engaging with the community to educate people about consent, healthy relationships, and trauma and prevent sexual violence.
It's easy to fundraise for us — simply visit Set Up a Fundraising Page on our website; enter your details, a title for your fundraising page, why you're fundraising for STARS, your target; and upload an image. We'll then create a custom fundraising page for you to share with your friends, family and supporters to help you smash your goal.
There are lots of ways you can raise money for STARS and empower us to provide our vital services across Dorset — the only limit is your imagination! If you're not sure where to start, why not try:
- A sponsored silence
- A bake sale
- A quiz
- A raffle
- A livestream
If you have any questions or need any support with getting your fundraising journey kickstarted, get in touch with fundraising@starsdorset.org and we'll be happy to assist.
Event Name 
Event Date 
Event Distances Upcoming Events
What's coming up in the run for charity events calendar? It's never too late to join one of these great events.