"I started coming to Battle Scars groups as a service user and then became a volunteer, a group facilitator and then a trustee. I'm grateful for the ongoing support and have really benefited from having a sense of purpose. I'd like to thank Battle Scars for everything it does and for helping me be the best version of myself"

Our history

Battle Scars was formed because of the need of one person to find support for her self-harm. Starting as a peer support Facebook group in January 2016, we formed the Battle Scars community group (Unincorporated Association) in April 2016.

​Fast growth resulted in Battle Scars becoming a registered charity (CIO - Charitable Incorporated Organisation) in England and Wales on February 6th, 2018. 

We are based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, running local face-to-face services, and national virtual services alongside our ever-growing worldwide Facebook group.
Old Battle Scars logo with 4 long interlinked arms of different colours and the words Battle Scars
Battle Scars logo 2016-2018
The current Battle Scars logo with shorter interlinked arms of different colours and the words Battle Scars
Battle Scars logo 2018-now

Our team

Everybody in Battle Scars has been affected by self-harm, either as something they do/have done, or by supporting a loved one who self-harms. We operate on a genuine peer support model, everybody supporting everybody within the team. 

Our board is made up of 5 trustees:​
Jean Birch
​Chair
Tristan Batten
​Vice-chair
Karen Johnson
​Secretary
Glenn Groves
​Treasurer
Clare Schmidt
Picture
Full time equivalent: 3.5
Battle Scars Founder & CEO - Jenny Groves
I started self-harming as a teenager and spent 25 years unaware there were others who also self-harmed, thinking I was the only one. I founded Battle Scars in 2016 when looking for support for myself and discovering a huge gap in services and support for people who self-harm. I have had a varied work career (amongst others, guitar maker and shaman) all of it bringing me here. As the CEO, I am spearheading Battle Scars as well as running services, delivering workshops and all self-harm training to professionals, networking and being the voice of Battle Scars and people who self-harm. I am now very open about my own self-harm and encourage our staff and volunteers to be the same so we can break down the stigma. 
"It’s reassuring that staff actually know and care about what they do. That really makes all the difference"

Our partners

It's vital to us to build strong links, to form partnerships and work together with other organisations, whether they are the NHS, the DWP, local councils, 3rd or private sector as well as our funders. As we are expanding out of Leeds this is becoming increasingly challenging but even more important. We may still be a small organisation but we have a lot to offer and we build such partnerships based on honesty, openness and transparency. 

If you'd like to partner with us, please contact us or ask for an intro session for your organisation. We are also keen to work with radio and TV producers, reporters, bloggers and researchers.