A NEW rape support centre serving Lancashire is set to open.

Victims of rape and sexual assault will get access to specialist help following funding from the Ministry of Justice.

Lancashire Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre, Trust House Lancashire, will be based in Preston at an undisclosed location.

It will provide practical and emotional support to men, women and children, who have been raped or sexually abused either recently or in the past.

The centre will receive £360,000 in Ministry of Justice funding through to 2016.

Damian Green, victims' minister, said: “Victims of rape and sexual assault must have access to specialist support to help them recover and encourage them to speak out and seek justice.”

Fay Maxted, CEO of The Survivor’s Trust said: “The specialist services that the new centre will provide are absolutely essential to the recovery and long-term well-being of victims and survivors of rape and sexual abuse.”