‘Light up the Night’ walk to be held to commemorate Sexual Violence Awareness Week at York

The walk will be held on Monday 7th February to display solidarity with survivors of sexual violence


CW: Mentions of Sexual Violence 

A “Light up the Night” walk will be held at The University of York on Monday 7th February to commemorate Sexual Violence Awareness Week.

The event is to display solidarity with survivors of sexual violence and free tickets can be found here.

The walk will start at 5:30pm at Greg’s Place and will walk across campus, ending at Heslington Hall. It is estimated to last 20-30 minutes.

Battery-operated candles will be provided but attendees are encouraged to get creative with fairy lights, reflective clothing, and torches. Face Masks are also encouraged unless exempt.

Hot drinks will be served on arrival at Heslington Hall, with a chance to learn about local sexual violence support services and the program of events scheduled for the rest of the week.

Last year, the event was held online due to Covid-19 restrictions so York’s Sexual Violence Liason Officers say they are “so excited” to be able to hold it in person this year.

The University of York’s Sexual Violence Liason officers, Amy and Robyn, have also organised a week of events to commemorate Sexual Violence Awareness Week. These include talks on Sexual Violence in Higher Education, Sexual Violence in the Trans Community, and the process of reporting a sexual offense to the police. For more information on the schedule of events, head to their Instagram @uoy_svlo.

Those who cannot attend the event in person are encouraged to share a picture of yourself “lighting up the night” on Instagram tagging @uoy_svlo as well as #itsnotok #changingtheconversation #sexualviolenceawarenessweek.

The University’s Report and Support Tool can be found here for those affected by sexual violence. 

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