Liverpool students launch initiative to ‘Fix the Night’

Guest blog post with https://www.fixthenight.com/ 

 

A brand new social interest company has been launched by a group of students in Liverpool, dedicated to giving students and the general public more peace of mind when socialising in the city.

 

Fix The Night will offer an online platform for people to give real and honest reviews of bars and clubs they have visited, with questions tailored to reflect how safe they felt while they were there.

 

Users can give a rating between 1-5 stars based on how safe they felt with an option to provide more detailed accounts of their visit.  Reviews are then visible on the website for other users with an average safety rating, based on real accounts and experiences.

 

The Fix the Night website also features blogs and a shop, where people can purchase personal safety items.

 

Fix the Night was established by a group of students from Liverpool Hope University, following a survey they carried out in 2021. Findings revealed that 97% of people expressed some concern about their personal safety and the safety of their friends and family members while on a night out. They hope to roll out the Fix the Night model throughout other major cities in the UK.

 

Lucy Crayton, managing director of Fix the Night says: “So many young people are becoming increasingly worried about going out and experiencing university life to the full. Many students are cancelling plans to go out or are avoiding visiting bars and clubs altogether.

 

“With the current financial state of these establishments already under pressure as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, we recognised a need to take action to support young people and the night-time economy to combat the issues around drink spiking and alcohol-related assault.”

 

A survey undertaken by the company found that an alarming 60.6% of students had themselves been spiked or personally knew someone who had.

 

Financial director of FTN, Lewis Abrams, said: “Spiking is a problem that the vast majority of students have faced, the fear factor alone is enough to stop many people from enjoying a night out.”

 

Kate Clare, creative director of FTN added: “Because of a small minority of offenders, the experience of enjoying a night out has been ruined for many.

 

“Our research confirms that many people have reduced the number of times they go out, due to dangers such as spiking, abuse and assault against people of all ages and genders.

 

“I believe what we’re doing has a real potential to influence change and make people feel more secure on a night out.  Our platform gives people the ability to make more informed decisions about where to safely spend their night.”

 

Fix the Night say they plan to work with venues across the city, not against them. Based on the feedback received via the website, the team are working on compiling guidance for underperforming venues and plan to work with them to improve the experience they provide for their customers.

 

The company has a number of venues enrolled to take the FTN safety pledge, including the Liverpool Hope University Bar, Our Place, who rank highly on the site.

 

Head of marketing, PR and communications at The Women’s Organisation, Nikki Anderson, championed the efforts of the students behind Fix the Night, saying: “Drinks spiking has become something that, alarmingly, we have become accustomed to seeing in the news. Only last month, The Alcohol Education Trust said drinks spiking had reached ‘epidemic’ levels in UK, with the number of reports more than doubling.

 

“It’s incredibly heartening to see young people trying to take charge and change what is a very real and very frightening situation for them and their peers. We wish them every success in their endeavours.”

 

For more information visit https://www.fixthenight.com/