'We’ve probably stopped so many assaults'

The Women's Night Safe Space Bus parks next to the Corn Exchange every Saturday night

The safety of women has been gaining more attention in recent years following a number of high-profile murders like that of Sarah Everard, Zara Aleena and Kulsuma Akter.

In Leeds, a “safe space bus” was launched in 2022 to help support women on nights out, but its future is uncertain due to a lack of funding. To find out more about its work BBC News spent a Saturday night with staff on board the bus.

“We’ve probably stopped so many assaults happening without even knowing, just by providing a safe place for women to wait for taxis," Emily Taylor tells me.

She is one of the support workers on the Women's Night Safe Space Bus that is parked next to the Corn Exchange, close to the bars and clubs in Leeds city centre, every Saturday night.

The vehicle is stocked with medical equipment, drinks, snacks and essentials like tampons, mobile phone chargers, fluffy socks and flip flops for aching feet.

“We have everything,” Ms Taylor tells me.

“We have women who come here who’ve been assaulted, we have women who may feel vulnerable and unsafe, they might have lost their phone and friends, they might have been spiked.”

Emily Taylor says the bus staff often help assault or spiking victims

It is 21:00 BST and the bars on nearby Call Lane are filling up, as loud music pumps out of doorways and groups of people spill out into the street, hugging friends as they move from one bar to the next.

Despite the occasional summer rain shower, the crowds on the street appear happy with people smiling and laughing as they queue to get inside the bars.

Some of the women, though, tell me that safety is something they always have to take into account.

“You’ve got to think about who you’re with and making sure that you feel safe with someone,” one woman says.

“It shouldn’t have to be like that, you shouldn’t have to think twice before you come out but you do unfortunately and it is a shame.”

Another group of women moving through the crowds between bars on Lower Briggate tell me they always keep an eye on their drinks on a night out.

“I’ve been spiked myself and I’ve had friends who have been spiked as well,” one of them says.

Practice nurse Olivia Boothroyd treats minor injuries suffered by revellers

Safe Space Bus staff chat to the women as they move through the city’s streets on one of their regular walks, checking for anyone who might need their help.

Since the service was launched in November 2022, it says 2,116 women have been helped.

Of those women, 51 accessed support for domestic abuse, 49 received medical assistance to help avoid an A&E admission and 38 were supported to make reports to police.

Olivia Boothroyd from Bevan Healthcare is the practice nurse on board the bus.

“It’s sometimes quite overwhelming out there, so people can just sit and have a bit of a calm space,” she says.

Ms Boothroyd often treats minor injuries, especially from broken glass, but also supports the women who come to the bus and may be feeling unsafe and vulnerable.

“Obviously they’re looking at all the posters we have up and that triggers conversations, and sometimes people notice things and they want to chat," she says.

"It’s an opportunity to talk about anything."

'Fight for funding'

The bus staff say there have been occasions where women have come to the vehicle just to charge a phone or have a cup of tea or drink of water, and have then made a disclosure of abuse.

Women’s Night Safe Space coordinator Shreena Gobey believes the bus is in the right place at the right time.

“People aren’t expecting us to be there,” she tells me.

“By being available in this unique opportunity as part of a night out, that support is unlike anything else that I know of in this city or have heard of elsewhere.”

During the night, the staff help a woman who has lost her friends and suffered a head injury.

They also support a woman who explains she is a survivor of childhood abuse.

The service is run by Women Friendly Leeds and the Safer Leeds Partnership, but funding is currently due to run out at the end of September.

“We are doing everything we can to fight for funding but we are really struggling at this point,” Ms Taylor says.

“There’s not been a single night where I’ve thought we weren’t needed here tonight for something really important and I think without this service Leeds as a city will suffer.”

As the night continues, more hot drinks and bottles of water are handed out while mobile phones are charged and women wait for taxis home.

In the recent King’s Speech, the new Labour government announced legislation, including the Crime and Policing Bill, which would include measures to ensure an improved police response to violence against women and girls and spiking.

West Yorkshire Police has described the Night Safe Space as a “fantastic project.”

Temporary Ch Insp Natasha Tierney from Leeds District Partnerships says the service supports the work of the police, adding: "It is a brilliant example of the important role that projects like this can play in making Leeds a safer place.”

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