Ask Angela: How it works in places in Bristol

The ‘Ask for Angela’ scheme allows people who are being harassed in pubs, clubs and bars to seek help from staff by asking for Angela – a fictional colleague.

“People don’t go out as much as they used to,” said Iwona Kessek, director of the organization.

“We are doing everything we can to address fears and make people feel safe.”

Ask for Angela was launched in 2016 by Hayleigh Crawford, Strategic Coordinator for Substance Misuse and Sexual Violence for Lincolnshire County Council.

Trained staff should recognize the code word and respond in an “appropriate and discreet manner” – offering taxis or services to help remove people from a dangerous situation.

Toni Naice, 40, from Bristol, believes the scheme is more important now than ever.

“We met our partners before online dating, so if we went out with someone, we probably already knew them or had mutual friends,” she said.

“That doesn’t mean that person isn’t a complete freak, but you can gauge their vibe a little more.

“These days, the trend has moved away from that, and I think that makes people more vulnerable.”

It seems that some people believe – incorrectly – that Asking Angela was only created to protect women.

“Honestly, I thought it was a gender specific thing,” said Lewis Smythe, who lives in Bristol.

“With men – I know it’s horrible to admit – but we don’t live in fear in the same way.

“I had no idea it was available for men.”

According to those who launched the campaign, the code word Angela is meant to help everyone, regardless of gender or circumstance.

Despite this, Mr Smythe says he rarely sees the posters displayed in men’s toilets and believes most men are unfamiliar with the concept.

“Abuse goes both ways and someone can have a really bad night, regardless of your gender,” he said.

“It’s definitely something we should be raising more awareness of, especially with the growth going up.”

Callum De-Ritter, a barman at Kongs in Bristol, said staff are trained for someone using the Angela scheme but have rarely had to implement it.

“I’ve been here two and a half years and I’ve never been in a situation where someone asked for Angela,” he said.

“We had situations where we understood ourselves and came up with security.”

However, the backs of men’s restroom doors feature only scrawled graffiti, with no information on how men can escape potentially dangerous situations.

“We haven’t seen them (posters) in men’s bathrooms, but we should have them,” Mr. De-Ritter continued.

“I can understand for either gender being in an awkward situation, so I totally agree, it should be in both.”

Many Bristol venues have adopted the scheme, but now some are going even further.

Iwan Best, director of the Exchange music venue, said: “Everyone knows what Angela stands for and we wanted to introduce something more gender neutral.

“We also want to make sure the language isn’t victim-blaming, we want to tell people not to be idiots.”

He said the venue has created its own house rules, which are posted behind the bar.

Staff are also trained to recognize people who may be in a dangerous or uncomfortable situation.

“We want to empower our staff to speak up and be able to walk and help people in these situations,” Mr Best said.

“Our wording and our training is for the perpetrators – not the victims.”