Judges have announced that Gloucester is to received the coveted Purple Flag national safety award.
The news follows a visit to the city by two independent Purple Flag judges in March who spent 12 hours overnight in the city over a weekend.
The Purple Flag is awarded to cities or towns that show that they have a safe and thriving night-time economy, based on the following criteria:
Wellbeing: Successful destinations are all safe and welcoming with all everyone playing their part in delivering high standards of customer care.
Movement: Getting home safely after an evening out is really important, as is the ability to move around the centre with ease.
Appeal: Successful destinations offer a vibrant choice of leisure and entertainment for a diversity of ages, groups, lifestyles and cultures.
Place: Successful areas are alive during the day, as well as in the evening. They contain a blend of overlapping activities that encourage people to mingle and enjoy the place.
The visit in March saw judges attend an event at the Guildhall where they met with representatives of the city council including Deputy Leader, Cllr Jennie Watkins as well as MP Richard Graham and representatives of Gloucestershire Constabulary, Marketing Gloucester and the LVA who have all backed the Purple Flag application.
The judges then observed various elements of the night time economy including the CCTV Control Room, Taxi marshalling and heard about schemes like the ‘Ask for Angela’, an initiative that sees pub and bar staff primed to provide assistance to women who feel unsafe on a night out.
They also met with the police, visited licenced premises and were shown an overview of the city’s cleaning operations.
And Gloucester Cathedral also showed its support for the Purple Flag application by lighting the tower purple on the night.
The prestigious Purple Flag is already held by Cheltenham and Bristol. City council officers, police, Amey and the Gloucester BID had worked on Gloucester’s application over the past year and now having been successful will have to reapply for accreditation in two years time.
Cllr Jennie Watkins, cabinet member for communities and neighbourhoods at Gloucester City Council, said: “I am thrilled that we have received this award which is a fantastic achievement and would like to thank everyone who worked so hard to make it happen. It just shows what can be achieved when we work together with our partners to make Gloucester a welcoming, clean, safe and safe city. Making Gloucester a vibrant place to live, work and visit was one of our key priorities so this award is yet another step towards helping it receive the attention such a great city so clearly deserves.”
