The Rise and Rise of Purple Flag

There is increasing recognition that many centres are hubs of activity 24/7, evident across the country where opportunities and challenges linked with the evening and night time economy (ENTE) are emerging all the time.

From ATCM:

Round 20 October 2017 was the largest round that we have seen for Purple Flag so far, welcoming submissions from 3 new areas, 12 full renewals and 14 interim renewals. The round is now complete and all the assessor and panel reports have now been sent back to the areas to work on for their next renewal.

The wheels are now in motion for the first round of 2018 with the submission deadline just closed and the planning of overnight assessments and interim reviews are underway. The two further submission deadlines for 2018 are 29 June and 12 October.

Details will be sent out soon on an assessors briefing day for our assessors already in place and an assessor recruitment day for all those interested in becoming a PF assessor for both our main programme and the new universities and college programme (PFU&C).

Safe Spaces Report & Toolkit

Safe spaces play a vital role in supporting the UK’s vibrant NTE, reducing vulnerability as well as reducing the pressure on local A&E departments and police resources. The research commissioned by the Portman Group and carried out by MAKE Associates found that, while a vast majority of people enjoy a night out, less than 1% risk becoming vulnerable or causing anti-social behaviour through alcohol misuse.

It is estimated that investment into a safe space can help offset public sector costs by as much as £9.31 for every £1 spent, however, the report shows that safe spaces have yet to reach their full potential. The toolkit that accompanies the report will help new safe spaces set up their schemes more quickly and avoid pitfalls. Having identified over 150 towns/cities that could benefit from a scheme the safe space ‘movement’ has huge potential to grow.

A link to the report can be found here

A link to the toolkit can be found here

Accessible Places Toolkit

21% of the UK population have a disability and many find themselves unable to participate in society due to the barriers that they face. The Purple Pound is the annual spending power of households where someone is disabled and it is valued at £249 billion per year. This is a massive customer base that businesses, towns and city centres are missing out on.

The thinking behind the toolkit is to ensure that every retail place is accessible to absolutely everyone. We are aiming to raise awareness of what our communities can do, is doing and has achieved in this space.

For more information, and to access the toolkit, please click here.

Homelessness

Finally, there is lots of debate happening around homelessness, an issue of great concern for Purple Flag members.