Park staff trained to tackle harassment of women
Park staff across London are being trained to spot and respond to harassment, as part of a new drive to make green spaces safer for women and girls.
The training, developed by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust and the University of Leeds, will give staff the tools to step in when they see inappropriate behaviour. Members of the public can also sign up for the course.
Campaigners say many women avoid parks, especially after dark, due to safety concerns.
The charity which campaigns against stalking and harassment is also calling for better lighting, more staff, and for women to have a say in how parks are designed.
"The kinds of behaviours this training would assist with include inappropriate comments, gestures, cat calling or even unwanted touching," said Saskia Garner from the Suzy Lamplugh Trust.
"Someone sitting down next to you on a bench and putting their arm around you – anything that makes you feel unsafe is not OK."
Ms Garner added that many people want to help but are unsure how to act safely.
"You wouldn't go in a park by yourself after dark or even with one other person because it doesn't feel safe," one woman told BBC London in the Regent's Park.
Another added: "[Parks aren't] not very well lit... in the one where I live there are no street lamps."
The Suzy Lamplugh Trust, set up after the 1986 disappearance of estate agent Suzy Lamplugh, works to reduce violence and harassment through training and support.
"People don't feel they can intervene," Ms Garner said.
"They worry about making things worse. The women we spoke to said they didn't feel safe to challenge the harassment and didn't think anyone would help them."
Violence against women and girls 'endemic'
Most women feel unsafe in parks, research finds
Park staff trained in handling harassment cases
The scheme encourages the idea of "active bystanders" – people who feel confident to intervene without putting themselves at risk.
"This training gives people safe tools to step in. Whether by distracting someone or helping to report what's happened. But it always prioritises your safety and what's right for that moment," Ms Garner added.
Posters will soon appear in parks and community centres across London, encouraging people to sign up.
Dr Anna Barker, from the University of Leeds, said: "We want to build a community of active bystanders… so people feel more confident and connected, and better able to act when they see harassment."
The training is being rolled out using Keep Britain Tidy's Green Flag Award network across England and Wales, the University of Leeds said.
Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk
Suzy Lamplugh Trust
Keep Britain Tidy - Green Flag Award
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Bar fears noise complaints from planned flats
A music venue which hosts heavy metal gigs and punk bands has said it feared becoming embroiled in a noise row with residents of a new city centre tower block. The owners of Rebellion on Whitworth Street West in Manchester said they "cannot afford to fight" a legal battle if there were complaints. The application, from property firm Glenbrook, to build a £118m 44-storey development next to the bar has been approved by Manchester City Council. The local authority said it was aware of "sensitivities relating to the proximity of Rebellion to this development, and the potential noise nuisance which could be created in the future" and work was ongoing to ensure a solution. The venue's co-owner Alex Kostyakov said an appropriate acoustic assessment had not been completed and he had not been consulted by developers. "They did [the assessment] on a Friday and Saturday night and didn't event mention that we're an all-week venue in the planning submission," he said. "We have heavy metal gigs on Monday nights, people moving in aren't going to be expecting that," the 31-year-old from Swinton said. "If you've got a Sunday off and you're trying to relax in your flat and we've got a loud punk bank playing it's not going to work. "It's about quality of life for the resident not just us." Manchester City Council said a clause in the planning agreement would ensure that work would only begin when it was "satisfied that it can take place without any noise nuisance being detected in future properties". However, Mr Kostyakov, who has co-owned the venue since 2021, said there was no way to know if there would be noise issues until residents had moved in. "The worry is that residents move in and the council turns round and says we have to pay for £50,000 worth of soundproofing," he said. "Or if they say we have to be ending gigs at 10, for example, we will lose a big chunk of our income. "That would basically be the end of us, we'd have to shut." He said he was concerned the venue could end up in the same situation as Northern Quarter venue Night and Day Cafe, which was subject to a three-year legal battle with the council over noise complaints in 2021. "Our pockets are nowhere near as deep as Night and Day," he said. "We both have other jobs because running a music venue isn't enough." Mr Kostyakov is calling for an amendment to the planning permission requiring the developer to take responsibility for "any remediation and acoustic works" in future. The BBC has contacted Glenbrook for a comment. The Whitworth Street West development had been approved last month but the application had to be reassessed after the Music Venue True (MVT) submitted an objection on the basis of its proximity to Rebellion. The MVT said: "Rebellion is not only well-loved locally and nationally, it is an irreplaceable part of Manchester's live music infrastructure." It said the risk was "not hypothetical" as there were "obvious correlations between noise complaints and venues closing". "Responsible planning should create places where people want to live because of the cultural life on their doorstep, not in spite of it," it added. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230. Plans for city's tallest tower hit by admin setback Music Venue Trust Rebellion
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Verrado residents report more mountain lion sightings
The Brief As Verrado residents are reporting more mountain lion sightings, they're wondering why the big cats are venturing out into civilization rather than staying in the nearby White Tank Mountains. The residents are nervous about their safety, as well as their pets' safety. BUCKEYE, Ariz. - Residents are reporting that mountain lions were seen stalking people and pets in neighborhoods near the White Tank Mountains. So far, no humans or pets have been hurt, but the encounters have been frightening. Arizona is known for its desert wildlife, but what would you do if you saw a mountain lion slinking around your neighborhood? What we know Residents in the master-planned community of Verrado, located in Buckeye, have reported mountain lion sightings recently. Verrado features a community pool and park and a lot of beautiful homes with views of the neighboring White Tank Mountains, which means more wildlife roaming around. A few residents have reported two different mountain lion sightings recently in the area. Mountain lions are much bigger than the bobcats and other creatures you may find roaming the area. Residents say they're nervous and curious as to why the big cats are making their way so far into civilization. What they're saying Verrado resident, Kimberly Roberti, who works at the Victory Club right at the White Tank foothills, says she's nervous about the safety of small pets and small children. "I have two small dogs and I walk them daily, and I live really close to where that mountain lion was found, I guess last weekend. So I am concerned, and I wonder what it was that caused the mountain lion to come down here and search for food, I assume? There's so many kids. I mean, kids on bikes and just families walking because the weather is nice and at night is when I assume the cats come down to hunt, and so it's just a really scary situation," she said. The Florian family lives in Verrado and parents, George and Lissette, not only reported the sighting to the Arizona Game & Fish Department, but they also alerted neighbors. "I'd never seen a mountain lion, like, no," Jason said. "I saw it with my own two eyes, and it was freaking me out." Lissette said they needed to let their neighbors know. "Neighbors at all times of day will walk their dogs, even late at night, and it was about 10:30 at night, and he was on the way home from the pool. There was a couple of people walking their dog, and he actually went back and informed them, and they were like, 'Please give them a ride,'" she said. "I didn't want anyone getting attacked, right? That would've been not a good thing, and, of course, just looking out for everybody and whoever else we saw out after that. We were telling them not to walk back that way because the mountain lion was there," Jason said. Not only was a mountain lion spotted slinking around the Verrado neighborhood, but a mountain lion was also spotted at the top of the popular victory steps. By the time Gary Lee Price saw the big cat, it was dead. Buckeye Police said the cougar was shot by a man after the big cat attacked him and his dog. The mountain lion was killed after a single shot. While locals say they're used to desert wildlife, these sightings and reports of an attack are unsettling. What's next We don't know at this time if this was the same mountain lion seen in the neighborhoods and on the trail. What you can do Click here to learn more about mountain lions from the Arizona Game & Fish Department.
News24
an hour ago
- News24
Cogta vows to clamp down on illegal initiation schools, after 94 deaths last year
The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Velenkosini Hlabisa, has vowed to crack down on illegal initiation schools after 94 people died last year. Hlabisa launched the winter initiation season in Bloemfontein at the weekend, saying initiation schools have a 'collective duty to safeguard the lives and dignity of all initiates throughout the season'. He said that during the 2024 initiation season, 94 people died, and another 11 suffered amputations due to unsafe initiation practices. He added that incidents were especially prevalent in the Eastern Cape and Free State. Hlabisa reaffirmed the government's unwavering commitment to the full enforcement of the Customary Initiation Act. The minister said his department would be enforcing the mandatory registration and verification of initiation schools, thorough medical screening of all initiates, rigorous training and vetting of traditional surgeons and caregivers, deployment of monitoring units and emergency response services, and strict enforcement of health protocols to mitigate risks such as dehydration and hypothermia. Hlabisa stated that Cogta will work in close collaboration with various government departments to ensure a smooth and well-managed initiation season. 'Registration does not exempt anyone from accountability. Any school that contravenes the law, disregards safety regulations or endangers lives will be closed without hesitation, the law is unequivocal and applies to all,' said Hlabisa. He urged parents, traditional leaders, and community members to all remain vigilant and report any signs of abuse, misconduct, or non-compliance.
