Inverness based charity, Rape and Sexual Abuse Service Highland (RASASH) is proud to announce it has been shortlisted as a finalist for Charity of the Year at the 2025 Scottish Charity Awards, hosted by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO). The awards celebrate excellence across Scotland’s third sector and will take place in Glasgow on 19th June 2025.
In addition to being recognised by the judging panel, RASASH is also in the running for the People’s Choice Award voted for by the public. These are two separate honours within the Scottish Charity Awards, and supporters can now vote for RASASH to win the People’s Choice Award by visiting the SCVO Charity Awards website.
This recognition comes during a landmark year for RASASH, which is celebrating 10 years of providing specialist support to survivors of sexual violence across the Highlands. As the only dedicated service in the region for survivors aged 13 and over, RASASH offers trauma-informed, person-centred support to survivors and their non-abusing loved ones, both in person and remotely.
In the past year alone, RASASH has:
- Provided emotional support to over 440 people across Highland
- Delivered 1,000+ hours of criminal justice advocacy
- Responded to thousands of Support Line contacts
- Reached 2,500+ young people through 120+ prevention workshops in schools across the region
A 40% increase in referrals and overwhelmingly positive feedback from survivors highlight the organisation’s growing impact. In recent surveys, 100% of survivors said their support worker always treated them with respect, listened to them, and helped them feel safe and understood.
“We are honoured to be shortlisted for Charity of the Year, especially as we mark our 10th anniversary,” said Alev Taylor, RASASH’s CEO. “Being recognised for our work is powerful, and the People’s Choice Award offers a chance for our community to directly show their support for survivors and the change we’re building together across the Highlands.”
Anna Fowlie, chief executive of SCVO, said, “This year’s shortlisting was as difficult as ever with the phenomenal work of the voluntary sector really demonstrated in our entries. Our finalists represent the very best of Scottish society, making life-changing impacts every single day in their communities.”
“SCVO is delighted that we can again highlight their work at our awards ceremony, which will take place in June. Now it is down to the public. Our People’s Choice vote is open now, giving you an opportunity to get involved and pick your favourite finalist from all of our categories. Don’t miss out!”
Voting for the People’s Choice Award is open now and will close on 20th May. Cast your vote for RASASH at: https://scvo.scot/scottish-charity-awards/vote/2025/charity-of-the-year-more-than-500k/rape-and-sexual-abuse-service-highland-rasash