A new scheme will be launching in a Nottinghamshire town to help increase feelings of safety for women and girls within fitness centres and gymnasiums. As part of the Safer Streets project, Newark and Sherwood District Council and Nottinghamshire Police are working together to ensure fitness facilities are enjoyable and comfortable spaces for all members.
The organisations also plan to tackle negative experiences through the Safer Gym Group. This group will be made up of local gyms which will receive training on how to support those who may experience unwanted attention or harassment when using their facilities.
It has been found through Fitrated research that unwanted attention, such as being watched, followed, unsolicited physical contact and comments on the body, have caused 71.5% of women to change their gym routines. Those running the new scheme have also created a survey designed to gather the views of women and their encounters surrounding feelings of safety within gyms.
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By filling out the survey, voices can be heard and understood to shape the topics which will be addressed in the training. Safer Streets project manager and the Safer Gym Group creator, Eleanor Smalley, from Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Exercise is an important part of many people’s lives - it has multiple health benefits and therefore we want to ensure facilities are a comfortable place for everyone to use.
“The survey is a great opportunity to tell us about your experiences within the fitness industry. Some women are put off going for a range of reasons and after doing some research into this there are changes we can introduce which are likely to make women feel more comfortable attending and making use of these facilities.”
This plan follows the success of another similar Safer Streets initiative which has already been launched, called the Safe Spaces scheme. This gave local businesses CCTV cameras and staff training in how to support people who come through their doors looking for help. These businesses display Safe Space signs in their windows to give women peace of mind that help is close if they are ever in need.
The Safer Gym Group will work in a similar way to this, using signs and merchandise to visibly show women and girls their facility will not tolerate any inappropriate behaviours towards them in a bid to tackle any concerns they may have about attending a gym. Councillor Roger Jackson, portfolio holder for cleaner, safer, greener at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “Creating a community that our residents can feel safe and secure in is always a top priority and I’m pleased to see the work we have planned, as part of the Safer Streets project, to tackle violence against women coming to fruition.
“We want to work with the community, from the local gyms to the women affected by these issues, to make sure the Safer Gym Group is an effective asset to the local fitness community and the women who are part of it.” The office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Nottinghamshire has so far secured four rounds of Safer Streets funding from the Home Office to pay for initiatives to prevent neighbourhood crime and anti-social behaviour, and violence against women and girls.
PCC Caroline Henry said: “I must admit the gym is not my natural stomping ground, but I want every single person who chooses to go to feel safe when they do so. Women should always feel comfortable when exercising and I think this scheme is a brilliant way for fitness facilities to show their support to women and girls in need.”
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