I 'asked for Angela' and here’s exactly what happened
I'm sure we've all seen the posters plastered across club toilet doors, pub bathroom walls and even at the bar itself.
Many know the general premise of what 'Ask for Angela' - dubbed by the non-profit organisation simply as 'the national scheme that helps anyone feeling vulnerable on a night out to get the support they need' - is, but does it actually work? And what happens if you ask for it?
I've personally never 'asked for Angela' during a night out, never overheard someone doing so nor, come to think of it, has anyone in my close or wider circles either.
Advert
I thought about this while having a drink with mates and spotted a young bartender clumsily making happy hour margaritas and thought: "What on Earth would they do if someone did come up to the bar and actually asked for Angela?"
So, I put the scheme to the test to see what actually happened if I 'asked for Angela' at 10 bars across Manchester.
How does Ask for Angela work?
The safety initiative, which was started by Hayley Crawford, the Substance Misuse and Sexual Violence (Prevention) Strategic Coordinator for Lincolnshire County Council, is named in remembrance of Angela Crompton, a woman who was abused and killed by her husband when an argument got out of control.
The official way it should work is by training staff in vulnerability management for when someone subtly 'Asks for Angela' - a coded way people can request help from staff if they feel uneasy on a date, fear their drink may have been spiked, or generally feel concerned about their safety.
Ideally, the trained member of staff will understand the person needs help and support, and will be able to respond in 'an appropriate, discreet way'.
"They might call security, lead the person to a safe space, or help them leave the premises unnoticed," the website adds.
Putting it to the test
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.
One bartender in Manchester's buzzing Northern Quarter simply told me 'I don't know who that is' before asking: "Do you have the right bar?"
Two other bartenders in Deansgate seemingly weren't aware of the code phrase and similarly made me qualify my question three times, although both venues were aware of the scheme when I probed further - claiming to have 'far less formal' in-house training, with one bartender noting that no one 'external' from the scheme had come in.
Another bartender who worked at a chain pub nearer to Salford straight up told me she had 'no training whatsoever'.
But when I asked another Northern Quarter bartender, he asked: "Is everything okay?" instantly understanding the code term - something that pleasantly surprised me after my first few unsatisfactory responses.
Concerned and looking around for a possible harasser, I quickly assured him I was simply doing an investigation, which prompted him to show me all the resources the bar used across the venue as he explained managers attended a 'wider training session outlining the scheme' and then 'relayed' it to staff.
Just across the road at a small club, another bartender asked if I was okay and offered to bring me to the side of the bar to chat in private.
After I assured her I was fine, she explained she had received 'Good Night Out' training, while her colleague said she had official Ask for Angela training in her previous place of employment, a Wetherspoon pub.
So, I headed to the nearest Spoons to ask them the question and was seriously shocked with what followed.
This pub was absolutely heaving - by far the busiest one of the 10 places I went to - and, with a growing queue forming behind me at the bar, I asked: "Is Angela there?"
Even through the chaos of a post-work rush, the bartender knew what to do straight away. I was instantly taken to a private room away from the bar, where she asked me how I was feeling and what I wanted her to do to help.
After explaining the investigation, I had an illuminating chat with her and her manager, who later joined the discussion after she gave him a 'thumbs up' that all was OK through the glass of their break room.
The bartender, who had only worked as one for three months, said she got the training in her induction.
The manager shared that the staff have 'refresher courses every three months' covering 'what steps to take to ensure it’s carried out correctly'.
Even though their responses were A+, he explained that in the six years he’s worked at that pub - he’s never had someone ask him or any of his colleagues for Angela.
This seemed a recurring theme, as a pair of women who worked at a wine and craft beer bar further out knew to immediately take me to another area before asking if I was alright.
Similar to the others, they told me that while they’ve never had someone ask for Angela, they felt 'more than comfortable' intervening and getting involved should a case of harassment rear its head.
They recommended I check out the nearby music venues, referring to them as a 'magnet’ for students and other working young people, which is exactly where I headed for my 10th and final place.
Once again, I asked for Angela and the bartender surveyed the area before motioning if I'd like to go somewhere else to talk in private.
There, he told me that the 'whole building is prepped' when it comes to harassment and while they didn't use the official Ask for Angela training, they had their 'own version of it' which included 'discreetly surveying the situation then alerting front of house team via radios'.
Who funds 'Ask for Angela'?
While some bars handled the situation impressively, it was clear that there wasn't a consistent approach when it came to ensuring staff were trained - and whose responsibility this was.
As Ask for Angela is not for profit and is funded 'purely by public donations and brand associations', any money raised is 'reinvested into activity to improve feelings of safety and reduce vulnerability'.
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.
Flintshire Council revealed the promotional cost of the scheme for 2023/2024 was £9,000 in total.
Bradford Council also shared that: "Over £5,000 were given to a local organisation to deliver the campaign and get venues signed up to the scheme. In the £5,000 it covered any promotional and training."
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.
GMP did reveal, however: "The costs of promoting Ask for Angela would be attributed to the cost of the internal printing of assets, there is no specific yearly campaign outside of a refresh of existing posters.
"Licensing Officers will liaise with Licenses and explain the process, directing them then to the Ask for Angela website and their various bespoke training packages.
"We provide an overview of the scheme and ask venues to make posters and digital assets visible to the public. Training packages are available through the Ask for Angela website and are at cost to the venue."
What does 'Ask for Angela' have to say?
I shared my investigation with Sylvia Oates, the Director of Ask for Angela, who explained that due to 'the lack of centralised setup support for organisations' it meant that the scheme wasn't 'implemented consistently' - giving rise to the issues I 'identified'.
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."
What now?
I want to make very clear that at no point during this investigation was I trying to shame hospitality venues, critique staff members or call out the Ask for Angela scheme, which is doing incredible work across the country.
Instead, I simply wanted to raise awareness that the current perimeters we have in place to stop harassment and spiking in nightlife venues simply aren’t working in isolation.
While it has helped people over the past eight years, its flaws are difficult to ignore - and are clearly already known by those promoting it.
So I'm calling for more active efforts from local councils, police and hospitality venues to put extra perimeters in place to combat the problem 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.
Ask for Angela is a fantastic starting point, but there is still so much more work to be done.
Find out more about Ask for Angela here.
Topics: Crime, Food and Drink, Life, News, Real Life, UK News, Tyla Exclusive
Rhiannon Ingle