Feeling safe and enjoying our night time economy

Cheltenham Borough Council and a range of partners are launching a survey to help understand how safe women feel in the evening and at night in Cheltenham’s town centre.

The survey, which will be open until Friday 20 August, will help make the case for a bid to the Home Office for funding.

Before the pandemic, Cheltenham had successfully developed and maintained a thriving evening and night-time economy - the largest night life scene between Bristol and Birmingham - exceeding towns comparable to Cheltenham in terms of population size and demographics. This is largely the result of the broad appeal of the night–time offer and the town’s reputation as a good and safe night out, confirmed by Cheltenham’s status for the fifth year running as a Purple Flag town since 2016.

Councillor Flo Clucas, cabinet member for safety and communities said “As bars, clubs, restaurants, theatres and festivals reopen after the pandemic, it is really important that everyone who uses and enjoys Cheltenham's night-time economy feels safe.

‘’But we know that certain crimes affect women more than men and as a result, I am really pleased that Cheltenham Borough Council and a range of partners have committed themselves to improving the safety of women and girls in the evening and at night-time.

‘’As part of this commitment we are looking to make a bid to the Home Office’s Safety of Women at Night Fund which if successful, will bring in funding to help us achieve this.”

Maggie Stewart, chief executive of Gloucestershire Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre added: “We would greatly appreciate as many people as possible completing the survey to tell us how safe they feel in the evening and at night-time in Cheltenham. We will use the results from the survey to help us understand the scale of the problem and where we should focus our efforts to best support women and girls.”

The survey only takes a few minutes to complete and can be found here.

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Editor’s notes

Purple Flag status

Cheltenham has successfully retained its Purple Flag status since 2016. The nationally recognised award is given to towns and cities that have an appealing, safe and welcoming evening and night-time economy.

The award recognises towns that have a vibrant and diverse mix of dining, entertainment, leisure and cultural offers available, while promoting the safety and wellbeing of visitors and local residents.

As part of its continued commitment to do everything possible to offer a safe and enjoyable time for everyone during the day, evening and night, the council and its partners are now specifically seeking the views of women and girls.