VICTORIOUS VOICES x SURVIVORS WEST YORKSHIRE

Challenging the Silence: Leeds, 2026

On 30th January 2026, Victorious Voices opened its seventh exhibition at St George’s Conference Centre in Leeds, accompanying the first Challenging the Silence: Male Survivor Needs seminar. Delivered with Survivors West Yorkshire, the event brought survivor experience, frontline support and research into the same room.

The seminar focused on the barriers male survivors face in being recognised, believed and supported. Around that conversation, black-and-white portraits and first-person testimonies showed survivors of different genders standing together. Their presence made a simple point visible: experiences of childhood sexual abuse differ, but no survivor should have to face silence or stigma alone.

Lee Cooper spoke about the purpose of Victorious Voices and answered questions about the work. Rob Balfour and Niamh Rose discussed the support provided by Survivors West Yorkshire and the realities people can face after disclosure. Dr Stacey Maher presented research into male survivors and recommendations for improving responses. The exhibition gave those discussions a human presence throughout the morning, inviting attendees to spend time with the people behind the issues being discussed.

During the event, several people chose to share their own experiences of childhood sexual abuse. Those moments were a reminder of what careful, visible survivor-led work can make possible: people recognising something of themselves in another person’s story, and finding room to speak when they are ready.

Leeds marked the beginning of a five-part journey across West Yorkshire. For Victorious Voices, it was an opportunity to bring portraiture into direct conversation with research and services—and to ask what changes when survivors help shape the response from the start.