The centre said they supported 296 women, 88 men and 231 children in the last financial year and felt “there is a huge gap between rural and urban domestic abuse”.
Hayley said covering a rural part of the country like north Powys – an area of 839sq miles (2,173sq km) and which can take four hours to travel from one end to the other – came with extra costs such as fuel to cover long distances.
The charity recently lost a funding bid for about £102,000 and as chief executive, Hayley said the impact was “quite catastrophic”.
“That was to maintain our children’s and young persons project who do a lot of work within schools,” she said.
“Raising awareness needs to be something we need to promote. The abuse isn’t different living rurally but the barriers are different.”
Tracy said that school was a “saviour” for her as a child and that the money would have been “invaluable”.
“If we can explain to children what abuse is and what it looks like, that would be a really good place to start,” she added.
The UK government said they were “working to address disparities in provision” and had pledged more than £1bn in dedicated funding over the next three years to improve support to rural victims.
“Close collaboration with charities and community organisations is helping us better understand the barriers facing rural communities,” they said in a statement.
“No victim of domestic abuse should be denied support because of where they live.”
More than three-quarters of Wales is rural, and the Welsh government said it “recognised victims and survivors in rural communities can face more barriers to accessing help”.
“These challenges will be considered in our next national strategy to help ensure services are able to meet the needs of people across all parts of Wales,” it added.
“No-one should ever be made to feel unsafe, scared or at risk of abuse in their homes and communities.”
If you or someone you know has been affected by the issues raised in this story, information about available help and support can be found via BBC Action Line.
