Exeter Safe Space opens to help people on night out

Exeter Safe Space at St Stephen's Church aims to provide refuge for people on a night out

A new space for people to feel safe on a night out in Exeter will give women peace of mind, students say.

The Exeter Safe Space, which has opened at St Stephen's Church on High Street, aims to provide refuge for anyone who might need it.

It was set up after a survey found most women did not feel safe in Exeter city centre at night.

People can get light medical treatment, support organising a means of getting home or to charge a phone.

Exeter Students' Guild president Lily Margaroli said the safe space would give people peace of mind

More than 70% of respondents in the survey of 1,500 women said they were more likely to feel unsafe in outside spaces, such as making their way home, while more than 42% said they were likely to feel unsafe walking between places.

In response, the University of Exeter led a bid to open the space through a grant from the Safer Streets Fund.

Lily Margaroli, president of the Exeter Students' Guild, said she regularly heard stories from women who had experienced "nasty things" on a night out.

Medical treatment, warm drinks and facilities such as phone-charging are available

"[For women] it's a feeling of not being able to completely enjoy an experience or a night out because you're always slightly concerned about what could go wrong and what danger you could be in - whether you're in a nightclub or walking home," she said.

She said the safe space would give reassurance to women even if they never use it.

"Just knowing that it's here is going to make them feel massively safer," she added.

The safe space is open from 23:00 to 03:00 GMT on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

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