by Chloe Mills
“Can I speak to Angela please?” may be a phrase that you have never heard before, or it might be something you hear every time you go out.
But what is the meaning behind it?
Asking for Angela is a discreet code and covert way for any girl to ask for a member of staff’s help if they feel uncomfortable, harassed or unsafe.
Where did it come from?
The campaign was introduced by the Lincolnshire Police around 2 years ago, in 2016, with it since being adopted by clubs, bars and student unions across the country.
It is active in many locations in and around Canterbury including the Christ Church Students Union, The Penny Theatre pub, Cuban and Club Chemistry alongside others.
❌ Something we promote very strongly at both ROKKA and The Cuban Canterbury ❌ Our biggest priority is for you to be safe, so if you’re in need of any help at either venue... just go to the bar and ASK FOR ANGELA.... pic.twitter.com/th2JQPD7EB
— ROKKA (@ROKKA_Bar) July 20, 2018
❌ Something we promote very strongly at both ROKKA and The Cuban Canterbury ❌ Our biggest priority is for you to be safe, so if you’re in need of any help at either venue... just go to the bar and ASK FOR ANGELA.... pic.twitter.com/th2JQPD7EB
— ROKKA (@ROKKA_Bar) July 20, 2018
What is the concept?
The main idea is that if you are on a night out, socialising or on a date and you feel you are being harassed or in a situation which has gone sour… you can simply go and ask a member of staff to speak to Angela and they will attempt to intervene and help to get you out of the situation.
Staff in the locations where the campaign is active are trained to either ring a taxi or remove the individual, causing the problem, from the situation.
The key target of the campaign is to reduce sexual assault and bring a safety net to nights out for those individuals who are more vulnerable. Not only does it provide a more comfortable environment, it also makes it easier for people to ask for help: something which they may really need.
Why is it needed?
Sexual harassment is a main worry and risk for females on a night out. This is supported by the Zero tolerance campaign which attempts to reduce not only harassment on a variety of levels, but stalking and violence as well as sexual assault.
Unwanted sexual touching is extremely common and girls often anticipate this on a night out.
WHY?
This should not be what we consider ‘normal’ even in a clubbing environment.
The Ask Angela campaign is one way to stop this before it goes too far.
Matthew Jones-Roberts, promotions and marketing manager of Club Chemistry and Tokyo Tearooms spoke about his view on the ASK Angela campaign.
“We’ve been using ASK Angela as a scheme for about 18 months now. We have embraced ASK Angela as a method of keeping people safe on a night out.
“It is a great concept to protect people that are in need. Something that is acceptable to me might not be acceptable to you and vice versa, so ASK Angela is for when you personally feel in danger, that there is a threat or feel uncomfortable.
“You can’t say that one situation is terrible and one is not because actually it is all down to the individual. That is what is so great about ASK Angela, it embraces how everyone feels regardless of who they are.”
The Lounge bar and kitchen is a huge draw for the CCCU students living in Canterbury, with there being social events held there with alcohol involved week in, week out.
Bar manager Jessica Wolman said “I personally think it is good that there is some sort of measure in place for women who don’t feel safe. It is great that they have something which means they can come up to someone at the bar that they don’t know and be able to be taken to a safe location or away from the situation.”