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Local night-time economy venues are set to become certified under a national Safe Place Project initiative as SafetyNet Guernsey announces its first annual fundraiser.
The charity, dedicated to making nights out safer, is set to host Guernsey’s first-ever island-wide quiz night on Thursday 14 November: The Great Big Guernsey Quiz. The fundraiser will challenge teams to compete for the title of ‘ultimate island champions’, with all proceeds being used to subsidise Safe Place Project training costs for venues.
The Project, run by the egalitarian, is a certification and training scheme that provides venues with the relevant training, advice, policies, and tools to improve safety for staff and customers.
The training focuses on four key areas: effective allyship, unacceptable behaviours, anti-spiking, and anti-sexual violence. Randalls, the Liberation Group, and PinQuay have already pledged their support, and SafetyNet is encouraging even more venues to join in.
SafetyNet Chair, Poppy Murray, said the values and objectives of the egalitarian aligned closely with the local charity’s aims.
“This training will be invaluable in creating a safer night-time economy," said Poppy. "Customers will feel safer knowing certified venues are trained to help them, staff will be more confident in handling incidents, and businesses will gain increased trust, a stronger reputation, and potentially higher revenue from improved customer experiences. It will also be a fantastic selling point for tourists that our night-time economy venues are certified safe places.”
Research conducted by the egalitarian revealed that customers value businesses that take steps to improve safety and inclusivity. 98% of the egalitarian community said they would feel ‘safe to very safe’ if they knew staff had been trained on preventing and responding to sexual harassment, assault, and rape, with 97% saying the same for anti-spiking training.
91% of respondents would be more likely to stay longer in a venue if they knew staff were trained to prevent and respond to safety issues. This reflected SafetyNet survey results, which showed 92% of respondents would be more likely to go to a venue that had undertaken training on safety issues.
The egalitarian Co-Founder, Della Claydon, will be hosting an online call to answer questions from local venues on Tuesday, 24 September.
“We are dedicated to fostering a world where everyone feels safe and included. We are encouraged to see the work SafetyNet has been doing in Guernsey to enhance safety and are keen to contribute to these efforts by leveraging our extensive experience in this sector. I’m looking forward to meeting with night-time economy stakeholders on the call and to working together to make nights out safer for both islanders and visitors alike,” she said.
Each participating venue will award a £50 voucher to their winning team. There will also be grand prizes for the top three teams in the island, generously donated by Specsavers, who selected SafetyNet as one of its three chosen charities for 2024-2026.
Randalls’ Managing Director, Matt Polli, said the group’s venues would fully support the Quiz and training. Randalls will also be providing accommodation for the egalitarian trainers free of charge.
“Customer and staff safety is a priority across all our venues, and we are committed to doing all we can to ensure a secure and enjoyable environment for everyone. By investing in training and adopting best practices, we aim to create spaces where both customers and staff feel protected and supported,” said Mr Polli.
Poppy Murray added: “Supporting local venues and partnering with them to improve safety has always been a priority for us. We hope the public will back our fundraising efforts so we can assist venues in training their staff. We’re grateful to the Egalitarian for offering competitive rates and bulk discounts, which we believe will encourage wide participation. This is a fantastic community initiative that everyone can contribute to and benefit from. We also hope the Great Big Guernsey Quiz becomes an annual event, ensuring ongoing support for both islanders and local venues.”
