Another positive step has been taken in the journey to ensure Manchester is a safe city for everyone.
On September 4th the WalkSafe app will go live across the city.
This safety app, which is free to download, is an initiative aimed at helping people make safe journeys no matter the time of day.
It lets people pick known safe routes through the city, as well as allowing them to share their location with family or friends, as well as sending an automatic alert out if a person fails to reach their intended destination.
The roll out of this app goes hand in hand with the steps already taken by the City Council and its partners across Manchester to make the nighttime economy safe for everyone, but especially women.
It is understandable that in the years following the tragic and avoidable murders of both Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa that a huge amount of focus has been placed on how cities can be made safe for people at night.
In response, Manchester City Council launched the Women’s Night-time Safety Charter in 2022, offering free training and guidance to venues across the city on how to support and promote safety.
With the arrival of WalkSafe to Manchester, the Council hopes that it will help and empower even more people to feel safe no matter who they are or where they are going, day or night and promote venues and businesses who are making womens safety a priority.
WalkSafe is the brainchild of 34-year-old Emma Kay who, as a daughter of a Metropolitan Police officer, was subject to many rules to keep her and her siblings stay safe when out and about. Despite this, she experienced catcalling, following, groping and flashing – incidents which sadly occur too often to many women across the world.
As an adult Emma volunteered at a community centre for people in crisis and saw firsthand the experiences women had, specifically their fear of the streets at night, confirming her fear that personal safety is an issue that affects everyone.
Emma’s career in childcare highlighted the importance of educating young girls and boys about issues like consent, gender bias and the importance of preventative actions. She built WalkSafe as she believes technology, combined with vision can genuinely save lives.
Councillor Joanna Midgley, Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council said: “The response that we saw to our Night-time Safety Charter was incredibly gratifying, seeing businesses across the sector rally behind us to make Manchester a safer city.
“Since its launch we have trained hundreds of staff and provided resources to ensure that venues know how to react and respond when they encounter someone who may be at risk.
“The arrival of WalkSafe to Manchester is a huge development and one which I believe with strengthen the work we are doing around safety. In an ideal world anyone should be able to go where they want, when they want but until then, it is important we put measures in place to protect and empower our residents.
“In the coming months we will be working with partners across the city, as well as within our burgeoning nighttime and events sector, and our universities to make sure that anyone has the tools to keep themselves safe.”
Emma Kay, co-founder of WalkSafe added: “Like us, Manchester City Council takes the safety of everyone in the city seriously and to partner with them on such an important initiative is an absolute privilege.
“WalkSafe is now live in Manchester and is free to download. It has unique features that means everyone can feel and be safer. From tracking your friends’ journeys to seeing the safe spaces on the map, it ensures everyone gets home from a night out. The app is ideal for students, commuters, runners and just about everyone. I always say it’s the app that shouldn’t have to exist but sadly it is an essential ally to let us all enjoy our lives and go where we want, when we want.”
