J D Wetherspoon Signs Ask for Angela National Venue Pledge in Commitment to Customer Safety

In a huge moment for Ask for Angela, one of the UK’s largest licensed pub companies, J D Wetherspoon, has signed the Ask for Angela National Venue Pledge, declaring their support of the campaign and their commitment to creating safer socialising spaces within their venues.

Operating 800 pubs across the UK, the industry giant will join the thousands of venues from Newquay to Inverness that have pledged to ensure support is accessible to anyone who needs it.

Lewis Hinckley-Keens, Security Co-Ordinator at J D Wetherspoon, said: “The safety and wellbeing of our customers, guests and employees is a responsibility we take extremely seriously. By signing the National Ask for Angela Official Pledge, we are strengthening our commitment to ensuring our pubs remain places where people can enjoy themselves with confidence. We are pleased to publicly support this organisation and to demonstrate our dedication to creating spaces where our customers and employees feel cared for and supported."

The Ask for Angela Pledge was launched earlier this year at the iconic Wembley Stadium, along with a brand refresh. The event brought together industry leaders and stakeholders, MPs, local authorities and other organisations to mark a significant turning point for the scheme and strengthen its mission in tackling violence against women, girls and other vulnerable groups.

Signing the Ask for Angela National Venue Pledge is free, and free training, assets and one-to-one support are available to help any venue meet the standard it requires. Once signed, venues are featured on the Ask for Angela Map, helping customers easily identify locations where they will feel safe and supported. They also receive a certificate, official branding and quarterly updates to keep the initiative front of mind.

Sylvia Oates, CEO of Ask for Angela, said: “We are delighted to welcome one of the hospitality industry's biggest names to the Ask for Angela National Venue Pledge, demonstrating a clear commitment to creating safer and more inclusive environments for their customers.

“Ask for Angela exists to ensure that anyone feeling vulnerable or unsafe in a public space can access discreet support when they need it, and the backing of organisations such as J D Wetherspoon represents a significant step forward in making that support more visible and more widely available.

“Together, they are helping to send a powerful message about the role the hospitality sector can play in keeping people safe and in supporting the government’s ambition to reduce violence against women and girls. ”

Following J D Wetherspoon's pledge, the Ask for Angela national venue map now features over 3000 venues across the UK. The scheme continues to expand as more businesses sign up, extending access to discreet support to a growing number of public spaces nationwide.

Further details on how to sign the pledge and implement the scheme are available here: askforangela.co.uk/the-pledge