Mission & impact

Supporting safer spaces

Ask for Angela supports venues to play a practical role in helping people feel safer. In turn, this can help improve confidence in social spaces and the wider night-time economy.

A recent YouGov survey on feelings of safety in the night-time economy found that 49% of people, and 63% of women, would be more likely to visit a venue that had measures in place to improve women’s safety.

This matters not only for individuals, but for venues, towns and cities that want to create environments where people feel able to enjoy themselves with greater confidence.

We want to help build a society where everyone feels safe, supported and able to look out for one another, whether that is on a night out, at a venue or in other public spaces.

Ask for Angela exists to help make that possible in practical ways. We support individuals, venues and organisations to create safer environments by providing accessible training, clear guidance and practical resources that help people know what to do when support is needed.

By raising awareness of the scheme and helping it work well in practice, we aim to foster a culture of trust, confidence and mutual support, where people feel more able to ask for help and more ready to offer it.

Why Ask for Angela matters

Ask for Angela exists because too many people experience situations in public spaces that leave them feeling unsafe, vulnerable or in need of support.

Research continues to show the scale of that need. UN Women UK has reported that 71% of women of all ages in the UK have experienced some form of sexual harassment in a public space. That rises to 86% among women aged 18 to 24.

According to YouGov research from 2017, women most commonly experience sexual harassment in the street and in pubs, clubs and bars. Stonewall has also reported that one in five LGBT people have experienced a hate crime or incident because of their sexual orientation and or gender identity.

These figures help explain why visible, well-embedded support schemes matter. Ask for Angela is one way of helping venues and organisations respond in a practical, discreet and supportive way when someone needs help.

Our Impact

  • 30,000 free resources downloaded annually from our website to support the implementation of the scheme in their venue or organisation.

  • Ask for Angela has been implemented in more than 5,000 venues with over 10,000 people trained to spot and prevent vulnerability.

  • More than 65 professional ambassadors lending support to champion the scheme.

  • Over 300 hours of one-to-one free setup support provided to organisations across the UK.