Last week, singer Paul Simon and his wife were both arrested on domestic violence charges of disorderly conduct following an alleged ‘family dispute’ at their home.

Police say they sustained only minor injuries, but ‘there was aggressiveness on both sides’, and ‘they are both victims’.

Who knows what really happened? But it made me wonder: how often does it happen that two people are arrested on similar charges? It usually tends to be one or the other.

And while there’s no denying men can certainly be victims of domestic abuse too, I was shocked to learn that according to the national domestic abuse charity Women’s Aid, more than two women a week are killed by current or ex-partners in this country, and one in four in the UK will experience domestic violence in their lifetime.

The more research I did into this issue, the more surprised I became. Violence and abuse affect women from all kinds of backgrounds every day. Sometimes, women are attacked by strangers, but most often they are hurt by people who are close to them.

According to the NHS, domestic violence is officially classified as ‘any incident of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between adults who are or have been in a relationship together, or between family members, regardless of gender or sexuality’.

We usually think of it as hitting, slapping and beating, but it can also include emotional abuse, forced marriage and so-called ‘honour crimes’.

It can’t be easy admitting to anyone that you may be a victim of domestic abuse, whether you are a man or a woman, but there is help out there, and right on your doorstep.

The Domestic Abuse Safety Unit (DASU), based in Shotton, supports people to leave abusive relationships and progress with their lives in safety and with confidence for more than 25 years.

They offer a number of different services all geared towards providing the best possible support to clients at the most appropriate time, and the team can be contacted right in the middle of a crisis, either by an agency or by self referral.

Gina Edwards, DASU’s Senior Domestic Abuse Safety Adviser, told me: "As we've been here for 25 years, sometimes we may get a client coming in years after they first came to us, if they have a problem with filling in a form, or something has happened which has shaken their world a bit.

“We don’t mind that, it’s good to know that we can be a ‘go to’ place for people who may have had to relocate to be safe, or who have been isolated by their experiences of domestic abuse.

“Thanks to good partnership working, with regards to reporting domestic abuse, we are busier now than we were 10 years ago. Having the monthly Multi Agency Risk Assessment conferences, and getting lots of agencies around the table to share information does help with keeping Domestic Abuse, and it’s risks, on peoples radar,” she said.

The DASU team pride themselves on their excellent specialist Police Domestic Violence officers who are able to respond quickly when police have been called to an incident. They are able to access free home safety equipment and advice from Flintshire Neighbourhood Wardens, and also have Domestic Abuse One Stop Shop from which most of their projects are run.

But DASU constantly has to find funding to continue both what they currently do, and to address new needs raised by service users, so raising money is vital.

A recent grant awarded to them by the Big Lottery Fund will enable them to fund a volunteer co-ordinator, who will manage a team of volunteers.

Gina said: “Our service works as well as it does because we have listened to service users and stakeholders and tried to fill gaps in provision. Having a volunteer co-ordinator will provide excellent initial and ongoing training to successful applicants and they will also be involved in fundraising activities, on call duties, mentoring service users and organising social activities."

Just a few miles over the border is Chester Women's Aid (CWA), which primarily exists to raise awareness of domestic abuse issues, as well as to address social exclusion and disadvantage. They organise a White Ribbon Event each year, as well as International Women's Day, an annual community event which celebrates women.

The charity is steadfast in its belief that all women have the right to live their lives free of fear and abuse, and are supported by a fundraising committee who support them to raise funds that provide grants for women referred to them by agencies that support women and children who have suffered domestic abuse and when statutory agencies are not able to help.

But they too need help to continue providing the vital support to victims of domestic abuse.

CWA chairman Lee Rean explains: “At the moment we’re receiving a large number of grant requests both from families moving into refuges with only the clothes they stand up in and for families who are moving out who have had to leave all their possessions behind.

“We would welcome applications for volunteers both to the committee and to the Friends Group. If people could spare a few hours a month, sometimes more, we would welcome them warmly.

“Even if people need experience to put on their CVs or whether they are retired or not working and would like to do some very worthwhile work, we would ask them to email us and we will get back to them as soon as we can.”

If you feel you are the victim of domestic abuse and want to talk to someone, contact the friendly teams at DASU (dasu@btconnect.com) or Chester Women’s Aid (chesterwomensaid@aol.com).