Derry bars sign up as #AskforAngela city centre safe zones

Stephen Henry has been contacting and visiting premises right across the city centre and said he is delighted with the repsonse to the #AskforAngela initiative, which means anyone who is in danger, at risk of sexual attack or violence or in distress can now enter a premises and ask is Angela working.

Staff, including bar personnel, door staff and even visiting DJs and entertainers, are being trained to respond by management across a wide range of establishments.

The initiative was spurred on by the recent spate of reports of people having their drinks spiked in the city centre.

Mr Henry, who also patrols the city centre with other volunteers on busy nights to help anyone in distress, said that while #AskforAngela is well known and used in parts of Britain, this was not the case locally. He said all premises were very receptive to implementing the safety initiative.

“It wasn’t really known here at all. I wanted to introduce it. I had been trying to get a wee drop-in centre that would be open all night but the cost of that was going to be too high, so I came up with another plan to establish every establishment as a drop-in point.

“#AskForAngela is to do with sexual violence and dangerous situations but I tweaked it a bit for Derry when I was talking to the establishments. It means everywhere is a safe place for that but also if you are in distress, feel you have been spiked, if you need help and if you are alone at night you can go to these establishments, ask for Angela and they will take care of you and get you whatever help you need.”

Numerous licensed premises in Derry city centre have signed up to the #AskforAngela safety initiative initiated by Derry man Stephen Henry.

Among the premises which have agreed to implement #AskForAngela are The City Hotel, The Rocking Chair, Rosy Joe’s, The Dungloe, The Harp bar, Tracy’s, Jack’s bar, Lizzie O’Farrell’s, The Gweedore bar, Peadar O Donnells, The Diplomat, River Inn/ Silver Street, Badgers, Oakgrove bar, Bentley bar, Derry city sports and social club, Taphouse, Blackbird, Sandinos, Granny Annie’s, The Central bar, The Exchange, Anchor bar and The Gate Bistro.

Stephen said he had wanted to see a night-time safety initiative in the city centre for a long time.

“It was just not there,” he said. “Basically I just wanted to establish a safe place in the city. Throughout the year I had read about #AskforAngela, I studied it and looked at how it worked and I thought it would be great if we could get that into the city centre and make the entire city centre a safe place. The establishments have been absolutely brilliant, and near enough 99% of the city centre now has a place for anybody - doesn’t matter if you are drinking in the place, walking past, if you are in distress or in a dangerous situation you can walk into any establishment now and use that word. There is also a two-stage sign language people can use to activate that as well.

“We only have two or three other places now we are talking to and I’ll be visiting two of them this evening and once we get them in the entire city centre becomes a safe place.”

He added: “I have now put together a wee voluntary group to patrol the town at night - a focal point where somebody can approach us and ask us to help them out. The team is called the Assistance Team and that is basically what we do, to help and if necessary we will call on family, to ambulance, police. We are there to assist anybody that needs a bit of help. We usually do it two nights a week if the town is busy and usually every Saturday which is the busiest time at the minute.”

Stephen will also be taking part in the largest mental health charity pageant in the north at the Everglades Hotel on March 5 - Shining Light - with proceeds going towards Foyle Search & Rescue. “We have children from five years of age right up and this is the first time men have been asked to take part in it. Mental health has been a passion of mine and that’s why I got involved.”