A woman has launched a campaign to raise awareness of modern slavery in the UK.

Rebecca Atherton, from St Helens, only became aware of the issue earlier this year, when she began working at Merseyside charity Causeway.

Horrified by the extent of modern slavery happening across the North West, she began work on the Stand With Survivors This Winter campaign.

According to the International Labour Organization, 50 million people worldwide are currently trapped in modern slavery and exploitation, and over 100,000 of those are in the UK.

Ms Atherton works at Causeway (Image: Ian Cooper) From July 2023 to June 2024, the North West was one of the regions in England and Wales with the highest number of referrals for modern slavery support, through the government’s National Referral Mechanism.

It came only behind London and the South East for the region where most new modern slavery victims had been identified.

Ms Atherton, 28, was born and brought up in the Eccleston area of St Helens, where she attended De La Salle School, followed by Carmel College.

After studying graphic design at Nottingham Trent University, she moved to London, where she began to design for brands including Nivea, Dove, Colgate, and Lloyds Pharmacy.

Last year, Ms Atherton decided to relocate back to the North, and with this came a radical career move.

She is from St Helens (Image: Supplied) She took up a role with North West modern slavery charity Causeway.

Since beginning at the Merseyside-based charity in March 2024, she began to work with individuals who themselves had experienced modern slavery, and who Causeway were supporting.

Hearing their stories inspired her to produce the Stand With Survivors This Winter campaign, which has just launched in the run-up to Christmas.

Ms Atherton said: "Modern slavery can take many different forms and it doesn’t discriminate.

"I was heartbroken to hear the real stories from individuals who had experienced it, including right here in Merseyside."

At the centre of the campaign, she has produced a series of artistic assets and creative designs which bring the stories and voices of real modern slavery survivors and their committed case workers to the forefront.

Find out more about Ms Atherton's Stand With Survivors This Winter campaign by going online, or donate £5 by texting SURVIVOR to 70970.