A charity committed to helping the survivors of human trafficking has held a celebration evening in Exeter.
Restore provides support to women freed from modern-day slavery with an aim to 'rebuild the life intended'.
The charity held an event at the River Church recently in which it raised more than £1,700 for its work locally.
During the evening a vision was shared to support women that have been trafficked through daily life-skills development, building positive relationships and accessing therapy.
Faye Gould, who started the project, said: "Modern slavery is a growing problem in the UK and thousands of lives are affected by it each year.
"We have been able to set up the project and have offered long-term support and accommodation to two survivors so far.
"In 2015 we are aiming to support another 15 survivors. Our current survivor has said that now she is receiving support from us it is the first time she can smile in seven years."
The charity was started in 2012 and is one of the first of its kind in the country.
More than 100 Devon & Cornwall police officers were involved in a raid in Plymouth in September that rescued eight men and arrested eight on grounds of human trafficking.
Last year over 2,744 people were rescued from slavery in the UK. Statistics indicate that up to 50% of these will be re-trafficked in the next two years.
A charity spokesman added: "Survivors of trafficking often experience severe depression, anxiety, flash backs and mistrust of others.
"Many also lack life-skills such as healthy living, managing a home and money, speaking English and job skills. It is because of this that they are vulnerable to being re-trafficked and there is a huge lack of support available to them nationally."
