City's nightlife safety recognised again with Purple Flag award

Morning Briefing: Friday, 20th March

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Nottingham's nightlife has once again been recognised for its safety and vibrancy, retaining its Purple Flag status for the 16th consecutive year.

The accreditation is given by the Association of Town & City Management, an organisation of nearly 500 partnerships, including Community Interest Companies, high street businesses, universities, and Business Improvement Districts. Their aim is to lobby and push forward the agenda of British high streets.

One way they do this is with the Purple Flag scheme which encourages businesses to improve safety and creativity, whilst also signalling to consumers venues which live up to those standards. There are around 43 cities in the UK which do so.

Nottingham has a number of initiatives to ensure our continued membership in the select group of Purple Flag cities.

One of them is Safe Space Notts, which you can see signs for across many venues, including The Lord Roberts and The Queen of Hockley. Signs in windows alert people that staff have received specific training to intervene when customers - especially women - feel unsafe or vulnerable. The venues pledge to seven further commitments, including having two women's safety champions on site. There are 56 venues listed on the Safe Space Nottingham website.

Another initiative is the Best Bar None Safe Space Contribution Award, which was won by Broadway Cinema this year. That award recognised Broadway's travel and safety policy for employees, championing diverse events, and setting a high standard for safe events.

Leader of Nottingham City Council Neghat Khan said, “over the past year we have strengthened our approach through initiatives such as the Safe Night Out Pledge, the continued work of our Safer City Partnership Officers and the visible presence of Neighbourhood Safety Officers, all focused on improving safety, reducing anti-social behaviour, and building confidence in our city centre."

Nottinghamshire Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner was recognised as one of the public bodies who helped gain the accreditation through their work to increase safety in the city centre. They were in attendance at the Rainbow Heritage Awards this year, along with many other Nottingham organisations who also contribute to Nottingham's safety, like Equation and Base 51.

If you're looking for somewhere to spend the evening, you're sure to find somewhere on the Safe Space venue list.