It is exactly ten years since a quiet idea in Lincoln changed nightlife safety forever and went international: Ask for Angela.
“It’s disappointing that it has to exist”, says Jez Nash, the owner of the Straight and Narrow, which was the first venue to adopt the scheme back in 2016.
The well-known initiative was created in February of that year by Hayley Crawford, who at the time was the strategic lead for tackling sexual violence here in Lincolnshire.
It was created in response to a rise in people meeting strangers from online dating sites and allowed for a discreet safety measure inside venues such as bars, pubs and clubs.
The initiative was named after Angela Philips, a real woman who was killed by her husband of three months in 2012.
After hearing about her story from a mutual friend, Hayley Crawford decided to name the scheme after her in hopes to humanise it and reinforce its message.
Most people have probably heard about it, but what does it actually mean?
Well, it’s simple, if someone feels unsafe or uncomfortable due to another person’s behaviour, then they can ask the staff for ‘Angela’ which will then be dealt with immediately.
The course of action against the perpetrator could be as minor as them being asked to leave the victim alone or as serious as police involvement.
Jez Nash, who is also on the trustee board for Ask for Angela, spoke to us about the early days of the initiative.
He said; “Hayley brought it to the Lincoln pubs, but there was no uptake of it.
“The original slogan for the scheme was #nomore and that made people think it meant no more drinking, so no one wanted to use it because they would lose customers. But you can’t counter-balance women’s safety with profit.”
Jez was the one who brought it up to his manager at the time, which made the Straight and Narrow be the only bar using it at that time.
Impressively, he said; “After we started using it, it went national in a week and global in a month.”
The scheme is now also used in countries such as Australia, Canada and the United States as well as many more.
When talking about what Ask for Angela does, Jez was very firm in his viewpoint that it is what bars and other venues should be doing anyway, regardless of whether there is a scheme in place or not.
He explained that the biggest thing for him is that his bar is not one that tolerates nefarious behaviour.
He said: “The fact that women can’t go out and have fun without being bothered is so sad.
“Everyone’s got a right to drink, everyone’s got a right to go out with friends without being harassed, so
we should be making sure that we keep them safe where possible.”
To commemorate its ten-year anniversary, Ask for Angela launched a rebrand, including new posters which are dedicated to the real-life Angela by featuring a cartoon character of her.
Lincoln BIG (business improvement group) recently facilitated this relaunch within the city by hosting an event to teach businesses about it.
About the event, Courtney Harrison, marketing executive at Lincoln BIG, said: “At our recent launch, we had over fifty businesses attend to get the new branding and find out more about it.
“I’ve been out and about in the city and seen it in use which is really exciting.”
About Ask for Angela within Lincoln, she told us how Lincoln welcomed it with open arms ten years ago, and how contacts in the industry helped navigate its way over to Nottingham, Leeds and Sheffield.
She said: “I definitely think that we were very fundamental in kickstarting the message of Ask for Angela.”
When asked if she has noticed any changes in the scheme and how it is has been implemented throughout the city, she said: “I think a big thing that has changed is that when it was first created 10 years ago it was predominantly aimed at women.
“I think this relaunch has shown that, as it should have been then but maybe wasn’t as widely spoken about, is actually that those situations can happen to anybody and it’s wanting to make sure that everyone within those communities is kept safe and doesn’t receive harassment. “
Despite having a woman as the centre of its brand, Ask for Angela insists that it is available for anyone who feels unsafe, regardless of gender.
Stating that the image on the posters represents the support you are asking for, and not just who is allowed to use the scheme.
A decade later, the codeword born in Lincoln continues to travel the world, proving that a simple idea can spark lasting change.
