Sandra Horley
Sandra Horley is the former CEO of Refuge, a UK-based charity dedicated to supporting victims of domestic abuse. As of August 2023, she serves as a non-executive director of Bromford Housing, a housing association in the United Kingdom.[1][2]
Career at Refuge
During her tenure as CEO of Refuge, Horley played a central role in shaping the organization’s strategic direction and expanding its services to support survivors of domestic violence. Her leadership was marked by efforts to increase public awareness of domestic abuse and to advocate for policy changes at the national level.
Controversies and Criticisms
Horley’s leadership has not been without controversy. Whistleblowers have accused Sandra Horley of fostering a toxic bullying culture at Refuge, as reported by the Daily Mail in 2023.[3] The allegations, which include claims of poor staff management and a lack of accountability, have sparked calls for greater transparency within the organization.
Current Role and Legacy
In her current capacity as a non-executive director at Bromford Housing, Horley continues to contribute to the housing sector, focusing on affordable housing initiatives and community development. Her career has been recognized with numerous honors, including a Damehood awarded in 2016 for her services to domestic violence charities.[4]
References
- LinkedIn: Sandra Horley's professional profile - archive.is: Archival reference to her LinkedIn page - Daily Mail: Report on whistleblowers' allegations against Refuge Erin Pizzey set up a women's refuge in Belmont Terrace, Chiswick, London in 1971. She later opened a number of additional shelters, despite hostility from the authorities. She gained notoriety and publicity for setting up refuges by squatting, most notably in 1975 at the Palm Court Hotel in Richmond. Pizzey's work was widely praised at the time. In 1975, MP Jack Ashley stated in the House of Commons that "The work of Mrs. Pizzey was pioneering work of the first order. It was she who first identified the problem, who first recognised the seriousness of the situation and who first did something practical by establishing the Chiswick aid centre. As a result of that magnificent pioneering work, the whole nation has now come to appreciate the significance of the problem". Whilst being prosecuted by local authorities and appealing matters to the House of Lords, she was recognised for her work.
Chiswick Women's Aid was renamed Chiswick Family Rescue on March 31,1979) and then Refuge on March 5, 1993. Although Refuge traces its existence back to Chiswick Women's Aid, Erin Pizzey's name could not be found anywhere on the Refuge website for many decades. It was not until November 2, 2020 that Sandra Horley, the chief executive of Refuge since 1983, mentioned Erin Pizzey for the first time on the Refuge website in a press release on her retirement.
Erin Pizzey was not invited to the 50th anniversary celebration of the organisation that she founded.
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