A total of 23 Newcastle venues have so far joined the initiative to declare themselves ‘sexual harassment-free zones’, with the scheme’s first ever event promoter also joining the call.

Shout-Up!, which is backed by Newcastle City Council having first launched five years ago, seeks to upskill those working in the night-time economy so they can identify sexual harassment and intervene safely. And the number of Newcastle venues certified has more than doubled this year so far, with another 20 scheduled to complete the training by the end of 2022.

The programme is proving so impactful that it is now going nationwide, with the first launch outside the region taking place in Northamptonshire this spring.

Closer to home, in addition to bars, clubs and other venues, Shout Up! has now been embraced by event promoter Locally Sourced, and security personnel providers T3 Security and Phoenix Security, meaning Newcastle’s door staff are the first nationwide to have a consistent procedure for applying comprehensive bystander intervention training to all their interactions, and to have signed a pledge to demonstrate their commitment to Shout Up!

Shout Up! certification, which lasts for two years with six-monthly assessments, means all trained team members understand the impacts of sexual harassment on those who experience it, and know how to appropriately support and intervene to end incidents safely, ultimately working towards the elimination of sexual harassment from our city.

Peter Moore, Director of T3 Security said: “We’re delighted to be able to take part in such an innovative initiative and hugely support the message behind the Shout Up! campaign.

“Violence against women has been an ongoing problem within the night time economy, and educating the security and hospitality staff that work in it about how to spot the signs and trigger points will provide much needed support in the ongoing fight to eradicate violence against women and provide a safer social experience.”

Late last year, the first 11 establishments to undertake the training were announced, but since then Alvinos, Tokyo, Empress Bar, Newcastle University Students’ Union, the Town Mouse Ale House and The Tyne Bar have also put all team members through the rigorous process, which includes having visible signage explaining their participation in the scheme and what patrons can expect to happen in the event of sexual harassment.

By the end of March, Charts, Bar Loco, The Trent House and Cosy Joes will all have completed the accreditation too.

Hollie Carr of The Tyne Bar added: “The Shout-Up! campaign is a great thing to be part of as it gives those who work in the night time industry an in-depth look at the different forms of sexual harassment and how to deal with them. It has opened up the conversation within our staff and given them the knowledge they need.”

And Dawn Bowman of the charity Rape Crisis Tyneside and Northumberland, which oversees Shout-Up! said: “We’re proud of the long-term commitment that Newcastle City Council and our venues in Newcastle have made to creating change through Shout-Up!

“Door supervisors are also key to making sure our venues provide safe spaces in which to party, so them joining Shout-Up! is an important step towards making our zero tolerance approach a reality, and demonstrating that safety is a collective responsibility. Together, we’re creating a world in which sexual harassment is no longer acceptable.”

Any venue that wishes to become part of Shout Up! can find out more about joining at shoutup.org/venues.

For more details or to speak to anyone involved in the Shout Up! scheme, contact amcrbride@rctn.org.uk

For captioned images from some of Newcastle’s Shout Up! certified venues, click the following link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12x_XstP1hsdnY3sbuMD2dZ9aTTGD3Giy?usp=sharing

For imagery regarding trained door security personnel, visit https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1eZCgQYSQaIt5VKomQDlrcNEVi0QG9ZyG?usp=sharing

Notes to Editors:

Shout-Up! launched in 2017 and aims to eliminate sexual harassment in Newcastle’s night time economy – predominantly in bars, pubs and clubs. Since its launch, Shout-Up! has trained more than 50 licensed premises. shoutup.org

Rape Crisis Tyneside and Northumberland is a charity that provides services to women and girls who live, work or study in Tyneside and Northumberland. It is completely independent of the criminal justice system, including the police, and its services are for women and girls over 13 who have experienced any form of sexual violence at any time in their lives. Services are free and confidential. rctn.org.uk

Safe Newcastle is a partnership working together to help make Newcastle a safe city in which to live, work and visit. Shout-Up! is part of Raising the Bar – a best practice scheme that Safe Newcastle introduced in the summer of 2015 encouraging late night venues to go above and beyond their licensed conditioning requirements, to champion the safety policies and procedures they have in place, and promote healthy lifestyles in return for a 30% discount on their ‘Late Night Levy’, and an accreditation certifying the venue for its upkeep of public order, noise reduction, safety and public health. safenewcastle.org.uk.

T3 Security is one of the region’s leading providers of manned security. We supply some of the largest and most well known brands within the hospitality industry, such as Stonegate, Mitchells and Butlers, JD Wetherspoon and The Apartment Group.

Founded in 2008 by Peter Moore and Richard Townsend who each have more than 20 years’ experience within the security industry, T3 strives to continually raise the bar and instil a culture of continuous improvement into each and every one of our 450 team members.