Sheffield City Council joins the ‘Ask for Angela’ campaign

The ‘Ask for Angela’ scheme is now being implemented by bars in and around Sheffield, including Hallam Student Union.

The ‘Ask for Angela’ initiative aims to help anyone who feels uncomfortable or threatened on a date by approaching the bar and asking for Angela. Once alerted, the bar staff will discreetly help customers by taking them aside or helping them to reach a safe location by calling a taxi or contacting a friend or family member. The innovative scheme also encourages both women and men to notify the bar staff if they are receiving any unwanted attention in a bar or club.

Alison Higgins, Domestic Abuse Strategic Manager at Sheffield City Council, said: ‘This is about keeping people safe and offering a discreet way for them to ask for help if they’re on a night out and getting unwanted attention or are out on a date and something doesn’t feel right. This is particularly important with the rise of internet dating and dating apps’.

Best Bar None is providing free training for over 20 pubs and bars in Sheffield, including Sheffield Hallam Students’ Union. The hope is that people will feel safer on their night out in the city and the scheme will be particularly useful for students in the area.

‘We want everyone to feel safe and enjoy their nights out wherever they are in the city.  Whether it’s a date with someone you met online that doesn’t feel quite right or a night out with mates.  If someone is commenting or behaving in a way that is disrespectful, unwelcome, threatening and/or harassing, it’s not ok’.

The campaign will go live on Friday 19^th May. You can visit http://www.sheffieldbestbarnone.com for more information about the scheme.