A third annual march to highlight night safety, particularly for women and girls, will take place in Scunthorpe on Friday.
Reclaim the Night returns after successful events last year and in 2022. Local people, community groups, local organisations, pubs and clubs are all invited to join the march on October 25, from 6pm, outside Church Square House.
The march will join people together to support an end to violence against women and girls and celebrate all safety initiatives in the town. The last two years’ events have seen crowds in excess of 200 people.
The march will begin from 6.30pm, up the High Street to Britannia corner, where barriers will remain closed to allow for street food vendors, tables and chairs outside. The event is expected to finish at 10.30pm. There will be free T-shirts, entertainment in venues and giveaways. Anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
“This event is about bringing people together to make a stand, and we are working with the night-time economy to do this,” said Cllr John Davison, cabinet member for community wellbeing (Urban – Ashby, Scunthorpe and Bottesford). “I would encourage anyone to come along and show their support.”
The North Lincolnshire Community Safety Partnership (CSP), which includes the council, Humberside Police, local NHS, and ONGO, has introduced a variety of safety initiatives in Scunthorpe to improve safety and make people feel safer on a night out.
This year’s march comes after Safer Nights work with local venues. The Safer Nights campaign sees venues being trained in ByStander training, bleed kits, first aid, Ask Angela, spiking and ‘One Punch’ awareness. Many of North Lincolnshire’s night-time economy venues have signed an online Safety at Night Charter. This is a pledge to show venues take the safety of everyone in the night-time economy seriously.
Other safety elements brought in recently include SOS help points in late 2023, and a safety app map. The CSP teamed up with WalkSafe, the UK’s most downloaded personal safety app, to show safe space venues in Scunthorpe. This will soon also cover Brigg and Barton venues.
(Image: North Lincolnshire Council)
Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner Jonathan Evison said: “The Safer Nights initiative is a great project to ensure residents and visitors in our area can safely enjoy the night-time economy. The Reclaim the Night event will strengthen the work that is already being done to help end violence against women and girls. Please come along on 25 October, join the procession and find out more about the Safer Nights campaign.”
The Reclaim the Night event will include music, with a DJ from The Light, part of the Safer Nights scheme. The Reclaim the Night movement dates back to the Women’s Liberation Movement in Leeds in 1977. It spread and campaigned for safety for women in public spaces at night until the 1990s.
The organisation was revived in recent years and sponsors annual and national marches against rape and violence against women. For more information on the North Lincolnshire Safer Nights initiative, click here.
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Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe
