Gough & Kelly has added its support to a campaign to save a project promoting women’s safety at night in Leeds city centre.
The Women’s Night Safe Space is a static safety bus helping women who feel concerned, unsafe, unwell or vulnerable on nights out. Run by Women Friendly Leeds and the Safer Leeds Partnership, the bus has been based in Leeds city centre every Saturday night since November 2022.
Now, due to lack of funding, it faces the threat of closure.
Gough & Kelly team members Jennie Bell and Hope Anderson have worked at the mobile unit since the pilot project in 2022. As well as emotional and practical support to people accessing the safe space, they provide security services to ensure the physical safety of everyone on the bus.
Jennie says, “Since its launch, the Women’s Night Safe Space has supported over 1,000 women. It has prevented 49 A&E admissions, helped 39 women to make reports to the police, made sure 284 women got home safely, and found 43 women who were missing and alone.
“It provides safety guidance, medical assistance, free phone charging, support with ordering taxis, a safe place to report incidents to the police, and help signposting to longer term support. It has provided much-needed support for women in the city, and I would hate to see that support come to an end.”
The Women’s Night Safe Space team is now calling on the public for help and has outlined the action people can take:
- Make a donation to support Women’s Night Safe Space via JustGiving.
- Raise the issue with your local MP or Councillor: Women Friendly Leeds have created a template letter of support you can download from the Women Friendly Leeds website here.
- Support the movement to save Women’s Night Safe Space by following and sharing social media content via Women Friendly Leeds: (Instagram, X, Facebook)
- Businesses interested in corporate sponsorship can contact Shreena Gobey, Women’s Night Safe Space Coordinator ShreenaG@leedswomensaid.org.uk / 07442157857 and Emily Turner, Women’s Night Safe Space Project Manager EmilyT@womenslivesleeds.org.uk / 07570373875