Anna Barker

Girls' use of parks drops after the age of 11. At a time when they should be gaining independence, many girls start to avoid parks.

Why? They feel that parks aren’t for them - there is nothing to do. Also, many state they don’t feel safe.

🌳Parks are essential green spaces for exercise, socialising, relaxation, but 1 in 6 UK women feel unsafe in them even in daylight. That's why @annabarker.bsky.social @suzylamplughtrust.bsky.social & @keepbritaintidy.bsky.social have launched the #StandUpAgainstStreetHarassment campaign

YouTube video by Secured by Design Police CPI endorses Safer Parks Guidance

👏 Endorsed by #PoliceCrimePreventionInitiatives, the 2nd edition of the #SaferParks guidance was launched at the #NationalProblemSolvingConference

🎥 Michael Brooke reflects on the vital link between crime prevention and safe park design and calls for the guidance to be used to make a difference.

@local.gov.uk @parksforlondon.org.uk @thebandstandman.bsky.social @mhclgmedia.blog.gov.uk.web.brid.gy @apsenews.bsky.social

📣 Take part in free Active Bystander Training by @suzylamplughtrust.bsky.social with @keepbritaintidy.bsky.social @universityofleeds.bsky.social

Help your teams respond safely and empathetically when harassment occurs:
👉https://www.greenflagaward.org/safer-parks-campaign-toolkit
(6/6)

🔹 Promote safe, respectful parks that highlight bystanders as allies
🔹 Support staff with clear messaging and visible reminders (like posters)
🔹 Adopt the 5Ds framework — Distract, Delegate, Document, Delay, Direct

Together, we can create parks where everyone feels safe and respected. 🌳✨

(5/6)

Heads of Service for #Parks can lead change:

🔹 Make active bystander training mandatory for all staff
🔹 Take a quick win: arrange a FREE bystander session for your team
🔹 Extend training across #streetcleansing, #communitysafety, #saferneighbourhoods & #FriendsofParks

(4/6)

Around one-third (31%) had witnessed harassment, while 27% were unsure — suggesting some may not yet recognise certain behaviours as harassment, especially without prior training or guidance.

This shows why awareness and shared understanding matter.

(3/6)

Of the 245 park staff and volunteers who attended our training across England and Wales,
65% were taking part in sexual harassment training for the first time — a positive step forward, but also a sign of the gap in workforce preparedness across parks and green spaces.

(2/6)

What would you do if you saw harassment in your local park? 🌳

Harassment in parks and public spaces is a key safety concern for women and girls — and park staff are often the first to witness or respond.

🧵 (1/6)

A quick win for many organisations looking to up-skill their workforces ⬇️

Look around parks - who is missing?

Teenage girls are systemically designed out of parks and public spaces. We campaign to design them in.

It’s just 5 days to go until the Big Give campaign starts.
Donate to Make Space for Girls between 8-15 October and every donation is doubled.

📣 Ever seen harassment take place but not been sure what to do?

Our bystander training equips you with five simple tools to recognise and address harassment, helping create safer spaces for everyone.

📍 Sessions last 30 minutes and run most weeks - register now: shorturl.at/fqPfC

Ever seen harassment in a park and didn’t know what to do?

💡Learn the 5Ds to intervene safely: Distract, Delegate, Document, Delay, Direct.

✅Free bystander training: shorturl.at/TVJbF

🔗Visit #SaferParks campaign: www.greenflagaward.org/safer-parks-...

Safer Parks guidance is back!
Created by our @annabarker.bsky.social and her partners, the new edition has tailored advice for different audiences, including park managers, local authorities, and Designing Out Crime Officers.
Read more about its contents and impact 👇
🔗https://tinyurl.com/4x9snzyt

Safer Parks: a new campaign to end street harassment Keep Britain Tidy and the Green Flag Award are working with the University of Leeds and the Suzy Lamplugh Trust to support a new campaign: Safer Parks: Stand Up Against Street Harassment.

🪧 Spread the word by displaying our four eye-catching posters illustrating the 5Ds to safely respond to harassment in park settings.

Posters include a call to action to get free training to intervene safely, with a QR code to scan 👉 www.greenflagaward.org/safer-parks-...

Events The Suzy Lamplugh Trust's upcoming events are listed here, including all webinars and conferences which are taking place over the next few months.   'The 5D's are excellent and allows everyone to...

✅ Register for free, 30 minute online active bystander training open to anyone, delivered by
@suzylamplughtrust.bsky.social
www.suzylamplugh.org/Pages/Events...

Positive quotes from participants who have taken the training, saying how it has increased their confidence and understanding of safe ways to intervene.

🌳 Volunteers from #FriendsofParks groups already do so much to keep our green spaces thriving — and you can help make them safer too.

💬 Training gave people confidence and simple, safe ways to step in.
🙌 94% left confident and empowered

👉 Our free bystander training is for everyone ⬇️

#SaferParks

80% of UK women have experienced harassment, yet 75% say no one stepped in.

Our #SaferParks campaign highlights the prevalence of street harassment in parks, encouraging staff, volunteers and the public to help us create more welcoming green spaces.

Silhouette of a crowd of people - one person pointing up to the sky - text reads University of Leeds - Leeds Institute for Societal Futures

Join us - launch event of Leeds Institute for Societal Futures. Bringing key stakeholders together to find solutions to some of society's most urgent challenges.

🗓️29/9/25, 3-5pm
📍University of Leeds
🔗Register bit.ly/46dcU54

#Leeds #InstituteForSocietalFutures #LISF @universityofleeds.bsky.social

Safer Parks: a new campaign to end street harassment Keep Britain Tidy and the Green Flag Award are working with the University of Leeds and the Suzy Lamplugh Trust to support a new campaign: Safer Parks: Stand Up Against Street Harassment.

✅ Register for free, 30 minute online active bystander training open to anyone, delivered by @suzylamplughtrust.bsky.social
🌳 Book tailored in-person or remote sessions by emailing training@suzylamplugh.org (for groups of 70+)

Find out more at www.greenflagaward.org/safer-parks-...

A quote from a women in the Safer Parks research, who explains how harassment affects her use of parks.

🌳 Parks should be places of freedom and wellbeing.

But for many women, harassment changes how they move, when they go, and whether they feel safe enough to use them at all.

Everyone deserves to enjoy parks without fear.

We can all play a role in changing this. ⬇️ #StandUpAgainstStreetHarassment

I highly recommend this training for anyone interested in making their local parks and green spaces safer for women and girls!

The training is fabulous and evidence-backed! We found it reduced barriers to intervention and improved confidence in specific intervention skills.

Lost in translation: raising awareness of Roma culture within policing - Vulnerability & Policing Futures Research Centre Read the research summary report "Lost in Translation: Raising Awareness of Roma Culture within Policing" by Dr Sarah Shorrock.

🚨 New report 🚨

We funded Dr Sarah Shorrock to lead a research project that aimed to provide Roma communities in Bradford with a voice and to explore what it means to be Roma, alongside capturing police perceptions of what being Roma means.

Read more👇

vulnerabilitypolicing.org.uk/lost-in-tran...

🌳 Do you know what makes a park feel safe, welcoming and inclusive?

For the #SaferParks campaign, we are spotlighting parks guidance explains why features such as lighting, layout, accessibility, location and the presence of authority figures are key to ensuring everyone enjoys our green spaces.

Job Opportunity at University of Leeds: Research Fellow, Vulnerability & Policing Futures Research Centre Are you an ambitious, impact-focussed researcher looking for your next challenge? Do you have a research interest in policing and vulnerable groups, the interactions between them and other service pro...

🚨 Job opportunity 🚨

We're looking for an ambitious, impact-focused Research Fellow to join @vp-centre.bsky.social.

The role is full-time and fixed-term until 30 April 2027.

Salary: £41,064-£48,822
Based at: @universityofleeds.bsky.social
Deadline: 13 October 2025

jobs.leeds.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx...

Safer Parks: Design only goes so far – we need to tackle harassment We must create a community of active bystanders to make our parks safer and more inclusive, writes Dr Anna Barker on the launch of a new campaign. Professionals in the built environment have a vital r...

📰Our @annabarker.bsky.social pens an article for The Developer about new campaign - Safer Parks: Stand Up Against Street Harassment saying:
‘we must create a community of active bystanders to make our parks safer and more inclusive, on the launch of a new campaign.’
👇
tinyurl.com/28rc86x3

In collaboration with @keepbritaintidy.bsky.social, @greenflagaward.bsky.social, and @suzylamplughtrust.bsky.social, @annabarker.bsky.social from @lawatleeds.bsky.social is driving a new campaign to make our parks safer and more inclusive for everyone 🌳

#StandUpAgainstStreetHarassment

Our @annabarker.bsky.social is driving forward a major #SaferParks: #StandUpAgainstStreetHarassment campaign in partnership with @suzylamplughtrust.bsky.social, @keepbritaintidy.bsky.social and Green Flag Award to make our parks safer, more inclusive spaces for all.
Learn more👇
tinyurl.com/3ptye9rj

Our Head of Policy and Campaigns, Saskia Garner, spoke to BBC London Breakfast about the Safer Parks Bystander Training, which we've launched together with @universityofleeds.bsky.social‬ and ‪@keepbritaintidy.bsky.social‬.