23/11/17. A Campaign offering immediate help to victims of sexual violence in pubs and clubs is set to be rolled out within two weeks.
The ‘Ask for Angela’ initiative allows people who feel vulnerable or at risk to discreetly seek help from staff. Bar staff at participating venues across Wolverhampton are trained so that when a customer asks to speak to Angela, they know that person is in need of assistance.
They can they arrange to speak with them in private and ensure that they are able to leave the venue safely.
If agreed by Wolverhampton council’s leadership next week, the scheme could be rolled out by December 7 at a cost of £5,000.
The ‘Ask Angela’ campaign was first developed by Lincolnshire County Council.
The London Borough of Merton also piloted the initiative with the London Metropolitan Police, which is believed to have led to a decrease in sexual violence.
Wolverhampton council documents state that if it was to adopt the initiative, as is recommended by council officers, it would work closely with members of the Pub Watch initiative and West Midlands Police to implement it.
Participating venues would receive written guidance and a 30-minute briefing on the scheme, which would be conducted by council officers and partners.
The campaign was the idea of Hayley Child who works as the sexual violence and abuse strategy co-ordinator for Lincolnshire.
Story courtesy of Express and Star www.expressstar.com
NPW Editor comment: We continue to receive interest in the Ask for Angela initiative and since making a generic copy of the poster available on our website it has been downloaded on nearly fifteen hundred occasions.
If you are interested in promoting the initiative see our YouTube video
