New campaign aims to help Wigan revellers stay safe over the festive season

Wigan Council has launched its Get Home Safe campaign to provide advice, promote personal safety and give information about private hire and hackney carriages.

Building on the Safety of Women at Night initiative, the scheme will see safety marshals at nightspots in Wigan, Leigh and Atherton.

Coun Kevin Anderson, cabinet member for police, crime and civil contingencies, said: “Keeping our residents safe from harm is our highest priority and the importance of the work taking place as part of this campaign is incredibly important.

“As festive celebrations pick up pace across Wigan borough, our Get Home Safe campaign is a fantastic opportunity to highlight the importance of planning ahead to make sure everyone gets home safely from a night out.”

The safety marshals will offer help to anyone who feels unsafe or needs assistance to get home.

Many licensed venues have signed up to the Ask for Angela initiative – where people feeling vulnerable can discretely seek help from venue staff by asking for “Angela” – and efforts continue to encourage more to join.

Coun Dane Anderton, lead member for the night-time economy, submitted a motion to support the borough’s night-time economy at December’s full council meeting.

He said: "We’re really proud of this campaign and our wider work in supporting our town centres to have a safe and thriving evening economy.

“We recently received the Purple Flag – a mark of confidence for Wigan town centre – and we’re looking forward to building on our brilliant partnership working and continuing our safety of women at night initiatives."