Covid: Parks 'too dark' for lockdown exercise

Evie Hairsine, from Our Bodies Our Streets, has previously taken a stand against catcalling

A student campaigner has urged a council to improve lighting in its parks to aid people exercising in the winter lockdown.

Evie Hairsine, from Sheffield, said the city's green spaces were "too dark" at night, and people feared attacks.

She has launched a petition which says women and marginalised people experience "heightened vulnerability to being followed or sexually assaulted".

The city council has yet to respond to requests for comment.

Ms Hairsine took to running in her local Endcliffe Park during the first national lockdown when "constant catcalls" forced her off the roads.

Under current regulations people want to exercise outdoors but were afraid to use parks at night for fear of muggings and sexual assaults.

"It's so dark in parks at this time of year that we just don't feel safe," she said.

She urged people to sign her petition before the days lengthened and the issue was "forgotten" for another year.

The petition initially focussed on Crookes Valley, Ponderosa and Endcliffe Parks but has since expanded to parks around the city

The Our Bodies Our Streets petition says: "Sheffield is Europe's greenest city but many of us feel unable to benefit from using its parks and green spaces.

"Women and marginalised people still feel unsafe due to the lack of lighting in our parks, and experience heightened vulnerability to being followed or sexually assaulted."

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It said the problem stops people from using green spaces after dark which has negative implications for mental and physical health.

Ms Hairsine said Sheffield City Council spends a lot on developing the centre but should also pay for residents' safety, "making the city healthier, happier and more welcoming for all".

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