‘Ask for Angela’ organisers respond after woman actually tried doing it in bars to see what would happen
Most of us know about Ask for Angela - or have, at least, seen the posters on a night out.
The non-profit organisation describes it as 'the national scheme that helps anyone feeling vulnerable on a night out to get the support they need' - but what happens if you follow all the steps and actually ask for Angela?
Well, I put the scheme to the test and went into 10 bars across Manchester, and I was seriously shocked by the results.
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I decided to put the idea to the test at a range of prime date locations and after-work favourites, from sprawling old-fashioned pubs and high street chains to busy music venues and quieter independent bars.
While some bars handled the situation impressively (you can read more about the ins and outs of the investigation here), it was clear that there wasn't a consistent approach when it came to ensuring staff were trained - and whose responsibility this was.
Additionally, before conducting the investigation, I made a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to every single police force, local council and Security Industry Authority (SIA) to find out more about their involvement in the scheme, if any.
Now, there were a lot of differing responses across the police forces, council and SIA, but the main thing I understood was that there seemed to be a total lack of uniformity across the board with how the campaign is being implemented, how staff members are being trained under the campaign and the breakdown of the budget plans of the campaign for 2025.
After completing the experiment, I shared my investigation with the incredible Sylvia Oates, the Director of Ask for Angela.
Sylvia was more than happy to chat with me about my findings, explaining that the Ask for Angela national charity was set up because she and the team 'recognised the great potential and high levels of public awareness of the initiative'.
"The lack of centralised setup support for organisations, however, meant it was not implemented consistently, giving rise to the issues you have identified," she told Tyla.
Sylvia noted that it was absolutely 'crucial' that Ask for Angela was 'accessible and effective for everyone' - which also includes men who may feel unsafe on a night out, hence why the scheme has also developed free gender-neutral assets and downloadable workbooks for managers and staff.
They also offer free set-up support for any organisation and have enlisted industry ambassadors to promote the scheme.
While noting they have seen multiple 'success stories' regarding the scheme, Sylvia admitted to me: "Your findings are a reminder of the challenges we still face, and we’re ready to provide free resources and guidance to help anyone from individual businesses to police forces and councils to implement the scheme effectively and ensure everyone gets support when needed."
I think Ask for Angela is doing extremely admirable and beyond necessary work.
What I'm calling for, however, is a further effort brought about from local councils, police and hospitality venues to put extra perimeters in place to combat the problem of harassment and spiking in nightlife venues head-on at the source rather than give potential victims yet another way to remedy an issue they've got absolutely nothing to do with.
Find out more about Ask for Angela here.
Topics: UK News, News, Crime, Real Life, Tyla Exclusive, Food and Drink, Life
Rhiannon Ingle