Bristol wins international award for its collective action on night safety

Bristol Nights has won Best Night Time Economy Initiative at the Music Cities Awards for its Women's Safety Charter campaign, which promotes a zero-tolerance approach to harassment in music and night time venues.

Carly Heath, Bristol’s Night Time Economy Advisor, said:

“We are incredibly proud to receive this prestigious award. It highlights our unwavering commitment to creating safer and more inclusive night time environments in our city.

“Bristol’s nightlife community consistently holds itself up as a pillar of best practice. We strive to take a whole city approach with Bristol Nights, and this award demonstrates that Bristol rightly deserves its place as a global leader in supporting the city after dark. The Women’s Safety Charter, alongside other campaigns has fostered a sense of unity among the night time community, empowering our night time venues to create a vibrant city after dark, and safer spaces for everyone."

Launched in March 2022, the Women's Safety Charter is a seven-point code of commitments aimed at helping venues and night time businesses address harassment and discrimination. Signing up to the Charter demonstrates an organisation’s commitment to a zero tolerance approach to all types of harassment, including sexual harassment and gender-based violence.

Developed in collaboration with night time workers, the Bristol Nights initiative has trained over 500 night safety champions, which includes training on bystander intervention. Over 90 per cent of people who have completed the Bristol Nights training say they would recommend it to others.  

Councillor Stephen Williams, Chair of the Public Health and Communities Committee, said:

“We are dedicated to continuing our work and expanding our efforts to make sure everyone can enjoy our city's vibrant night time economy without fear of harassment or discrimination. This award is not just a recognition of our past achievements, but a motivation to keep pushing forward for a safer, more inclusive future."  

Clare Moody, Police and Crime Commissioner, said:

“The Bristol Nights Women's Safety Charter is a testament to the collective effort of our community, venues, and night time businesses to drive cultural change, empower the workforce and help build a network of safety advocates across the city at night. This award underscores the importance of our mission and the positive impact we are making.”

The Music Cities Awards is a global competition designed to acknowledge and reward the most outstanding applications of music for economic, social, environmental, and cultural development in cities and places all around the world.

Bristol Nights, the industry-leading partnership project led by Bristol City Council, works with organisations across the city to advocate for practical city-wide solutions to support Bristol’s night time economy, including businesses and people who work between 6pm and 6am.  

To sign up to the Women’s Safety Charter, or reserve a place on a free training course, visit www.bristolnights.co.uk/wsc

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This is the second time Bristol Nights has won this award - Bristol Rules won in 2021.

Bristol Nights offer three types of training:

• Nightlife teams: Open to anyone working in the night time economy and hospitality sector looking to increase their skills and knowledge to create safer spaces and learn how to effectively respond to incidents of harassment in nightlife spaces.
• Champions Training: Support and training is available to help guide your organisation through the steps outlined in the charter. The first commitment having signed up to the Women's Safety Charter is to appoint a night safety Champion. Training aims to empower Champions, giving them the tools and techniques to create change and embed a zero tolerance to all forms of harassment.
• Train the Trainer: Specifically for Champions who have completed the Nightlife Teams training, to give them the skills and confidence to deliver it to their teams.

The Music Cities Awards ceremony took place at the opening night of the Riyadh Music Cities Convention, on 8 December, at Mayadeen Village in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. With over 300 applications from 19 countries across six continents, this year's competition highlights the vital role that music plays in shaping the cultural, economic, and social fabric of cities. The selection process was led by a high-level global jury of 10 experts who work at the forefront of music and city development.

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