Safer Sounds, Met Police and Mayor of London launch refreshed WAVE Programme

Safer Sounds, part of the Safer Business Network, have joined with the Metropolitan Police Service and the Mayor of London and licensed venues across the Capital to help keep people safe while enjoying a night out.

After lockdown, London’s bars, clubs and other licensed premises are busy and numbers are expected to increase with 18- and 19-year-olds not having experienced the night-time economy.

A new WAVE Programme, including WAVE Training and the The ‘Ask for Angela’ initiative is now being rolled out to venues across London with new assets for customers and staff teams.

People who feel unsafe, vulnerable or threatened can seek discreet help by approaching staff and asking them for ‘Angela’. This code-phrase will indicate to staff that they require help with their situation and a trained member of staff will then look to support and assist them. The venue can then support the vulnerable person through an appropriate intervention.

Venues can also now access the refreshed Welfare And Vulnerability Engagement (WAVE) training. Delivered by Safer Sounds and the Met’s licensing officers – the training gives staff the ability to help customers who may be in a situation that makes them vulnerable or unsafe. So far over 350 frontline staff from over 150 London venues have been trained since the start of August. 

Organisations can receive WAVE training through the Safer Sounds Partnership or via their local licensing team. The training explores what vulnerability is, how to identify it and appropriate interventions. A range of online assets and webinars are available. You can visit www.safersounds.org.uk/wave or email wave@saferbusiness.org.uk to find out more.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Jane Connors joined Deputy Mayor Sophie Linden and Phillipe Chiarella from Safer Sounds at the Ministry of Sound on 25th August 2021 to highlight the importance of the campaign to representatives of the licensed business sector and to raise awareness among the public.

DAC Connors said: “I am really pleased to see that so many venues are embracing this scheme and I would urge anyone who finds themselves in an uncomfortable situation in a licensed venue to ‘Ask for Angela’.

 “No one should have to put up with unwanted attention or predatory, sexual or violent behaviour. This scheme makes it easier for anyone feeling unsafe or threatened on a night out to access support quickly and discreetly. This might mean reuniting them with a friend they were out with, contacting family or friends, calling a taxi or, if necessary, involving security staff or police.”

She added: “The Met Police is absolutely committed to tackling violence. We want everyone to be safe anywhere in London and be able to go about their business without fear or feeling unsafe.”

Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Sophie Linden, said: “The Ask for Angela initiative is a great example of London Councils, the Met Police, City Hall, Safer Sounds, and venues across London working together to deliver real change. 

“It builds on the success of City Hall’s Women’s Night Safety Charter - which is working to prevent and reduce sexual violence and ensure public spaces are safe at night - and is an important part of our comprehensive approach to tackling Violence Against Women and Girls.

“With restrictions lifting and many of London’s clubs and bars open and busy throughout the night, it’s vital we do everything we can to prevent and reduce sexual violence and harassment. The Ask for Angela initiative will make accessing vital support quick and easy for those feeling unsafe or threatened and I would encourage all of London night-time venues to sign up.”

Phillipe Chiarella, Programme & Training Manager, Safer Sounds said: “What is clear from the work that Safer Sounds does with licensed premises is that businesses want to tackle vulnerability head on, but staff can be unsure of how to identify a vulnerable person and make an appropriate intervention. Venues who sign up to our WAVE programme ensure their staff are trained and empowered to actively assist customers in trouble and thereby prevent and reduce violent and sexual offences from taking place. 

“Our revitalisation of Ask for Angela shows that sexual harassment and assaults will not be tolerated in London’s venues. By providing assets for social media, we are encouraging conversations about acceptable behaviour that will have a positive impact on the safety of those who visit licensed premises.

“Safer Sounds is committed to being a voice for business on this important issue and to working with the Police, Mayor’s Office and councils to ensure that vulnerability is tackled in partnership with venues.”

Safer Sounds launches free online welfare and vulnerability training sessions for venues.

Safer Sounds are working with the Metropolitan Police Service, the Mayor of London, London Councils and venues across London to help people enjoy safer nights out in public spaces. As part of this campaign, we will be hosting three free WAVE training sessions (Welfare And Vulnerability Engagement).

These sessions are open to anyone working in licensed premises and we encourage all venues to invite as many of their management, staff and security teams to take part so that they can learn to identify and respond to vulnerability within their premises and help venues play a role in helping to prevent and reduce sexual violence and vulnerability within the licensed premises and the wide night-time economy.

We will also be presenting our new Ask for Angela campaign and letting you know how you can promote this campaign to your customers.

Training sessions will be held online on the following dates:

• Wednesday 4th August 10:30-11:30

• Wednesday 11th August 13:30-14:30

• Wednesday 18th August 17:30-18:30

You can register now by going to www.safersounds.org.uk/wave-august-events or for more information you can email wave@saferbusiness.org.uk.

Take Me to the Club - a digital love letter to queer spaces London has lost and a fundraiser to save those that remain.

Candy Bar. The Joiners Arms. Trade. From 2006 to 2017, London’s queer spaces dropped from 121 to 51. Now, as the pandemic has put more clubs at greater risk of closing, this number is on the brink of dropping even lower.

Take Me to the Club is both a love letter to iconic places we’ve lost and an effort to raise money to help keep remaining venues open. With our sights set on £15k, we’ve crafted a website that celebrates queer clubbing, full of memories and imagery depicting moments shared in these spaces, given to us by the people that loved them.

The project profiles 21 venues and features custom illustrations inspired by London’s queer nightlife. As part of our fundraising goals, we’ve also made a limited edition Take Me to the Club t-shirt full of illustrations and available for purchase on Everpress. All of the money we raise will go towards grants for remaining venues.

The launch arrives just in time for Pride Month, but a few weeks out from the reopening of clubs across the country. It’s our hope that money raised will help queer spaces throughout London open their doors again on July 19th.

Take Me to the Club was created by Phantom in collaboration with Safer Sounds Partnership. It was inspired by a year spent desperately missing the spontaneity of a night out and the freedom these venues offer.

Zuki Sedgley, Associate Creative Director of Phantom, said:

"Queer venues are a vital part of any town, any city. Over lockdown, they were taken away from us. And, as members of the LGBT+ community, we felt that impact deeply. 

But lockdown wasn’t the first time that London’s queer spaces vanished. Since 2006, half of all of London’s LGBT+ venues have closed. Take Me to Club is love letter to all the queer venues we’ve lost, the spaces where we found our communities and ourselves.

More than that, Take Me to the Club is a call to support those to remain. We’ve partnered with Safer Sounds to raise money for London’s LGBT venues to pay for things like rent, or for a performer’s fee. Help us keep London gay, and queer people safe."

Phillipe Chiarella, Programme Manager of Safer Business Network, said:

 “2019 was the first year in a decade that London saw an increase in the total number of LGBTQ+ venues, something the community should be extremely proud of, but that progress has been threatened by the COVID-19 pandemic with many venues struggling to pay their bills.

As part of our commitment to supporting LGBTQ+ venues and promoters, we are proud to have collaborated with Phantom on this project which will not only support venues but crucially promoters who have been left behind by Government support.

This is a unique opportunity for the community to support venues by helping us raise money to help our LGBTQ+ scene survive.”

To see the site, donate or submit a memory of your own, visit www.takemetotheclub.com.

For more information please email lgbtqvenues@saferbusiness.org.uk.

Safer Sounds launches Nightclub Reopening Report at crucial time for the sector.

Throughout the last six 6 months the Safer Sounds Partnership, part of the Safer Business Network, has been consulting with the nightclub sector on reopening. The results of the consultation has informed a report on the re-opening of London’s nightclubs which contains critical issues flagged-up by owners and operators.

The Safer Sounds Partnership held a London Nightclub Reopening Roundtable event  earlier in the year with over 170 people in attendance, including over 130 owners and operators representing a range of venues from independent nightclubs to national operators with multiple venues.

The report highlights a range of issues facing the sector, and has several key findings including:

• Delaying of the planned reopening on 21 June will require further financial support from the government, otherwise venues are at risk permanent closure.

• Guidance on how nightclubs should operate in a COVID safe way needs to be available now so venues can study it and adapt.

• Customer safety and welfare remains a key focus of venues, the Police and Local Authorities

• Whilst many landlords have negotiated on rents repayments, they cannot hold off debt collection much longer. Substantial debts to landlords and suppliers will not be serviceable for many venues and some will need further government financial support to survive.

• Recruitment of staff, especially security, will be challenging as many people have moved on to roles in other sectors

• There is good partnership working taking place between the police and local authorities.

Amy Lamé, Night Czar for London said:

“Nightclubs are much loved part of UK cultural life. On 21 June, they will have been unable to do business for 454 consecutive days. This new report from the Safer Sounds Partnership shows that nightclubs have built up huge debts to make it through the pandemic. If they cannot reopen on 21 June, nightclubs will need urgent financial support from the government if they are to survive. It is vital that we protect our nightclubs not just to go clubbing again, but to ensure London continues to attract students, workers, tourism and investment from around the globe.”

Phillipe Chiarella, Programme Manager for Safer Sounds said:

“Since March 2020, Safer Sounds has supported licensed premises on getting through the pandemic, reopening and continuing to operate in the world we now live in. This report comes as a timely reminder of the unique issues that affect the nightclub sector, bringing those issues into sharp focus at a time when sector reopening may be delayed. We would like to encourage operators, local authorities and the police to read this report and use it to inform their reopening plans and as ever we remain here to support them all through the reopening through partnership working.”

The London Nightclub Roundtable Reopening Report is available to download here.

Safer Sounds Website Goes Live

Safer Sounds is please to announce that the website is now live!

We hope you find it informative.