![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0_Angela-poster.jpg\")
Posters advising All Bar One customers on how to ask for Angela are on the toilet doors(Image: Valerie Lewis)<\/p>\nA number of Birmingham city centre bars are aware of the secret words and know how to help youPosters advising All Bar One customers on how to ask for Angela are on the toilet doors(Image: Valerie Lewis)<\/p>\n
After a number of violent incidents against women in recent weeks many are left feeling anxious for their safety – and it’s important to know there is help out there.<\/p>\n
\u2018Ask for Angela\u2019 was set up by a non-profit charity that supports venues in keeping their customers safe.<\/p>\n
The three words are a secret code and when a customer asks for Angela, the bar will know they need help.<\/p>\n
Read more: Moves to protect women and girls on buses revealed amid fears over waiting at stops<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n You can ask for Angela in any venue that works with the charity, and you can usually figure this out through posters in the loo.<\/p>\n Subtle as ever, the charity tell people how to ask for Angela using signs on toilet doors.<\/p>\n Reassuringly for the people of Birmingham<\/a>, all the bars in the city that implemented Ask for Angela received a 100% success rate when being mystery tested.<\/p>\n The bars tested included Albert Schloss, The Dragon Inn Wetherspoons, the Slug and Lettuce at Brindley Place, and Mama Roux’s in Digbeth<\/a>.<\/p>\n And whilst it is not compulsory for bars to sign up to this scheme, many do, such as the UK\u2019s largest pub company Stonegate Group (which own popular chains such as Slug and Lettuce, Walkabout, and Be at One) and Wetherspoons.<\/p>\n You can speak to anyone who works there, from staff behind the bar to a member of security, and can mention Angela in any way that feels natural, such as \u201cI need Angela\u201d or \u201cHave you seen Angela?\u201d.<\/p>\n The charity have also made workbooks for hospitality staff filled with guidance on how to best protect a person after they have whispered the secret code.<\/p>\n Support for victims of sexual offences – where to get help<\/p>\n The Survivors Trust<\/strong><\/p>\n The Survivors Trust is the largest umbrella agency for specialist rape and sexual abuse services in the UK.<\/p>\n Their services work with victims and survivors of all ages, all genders, of all forms of sexual violence, sexual abuse and sexual exploitation, including support for partners and family members.<\/p>\n If you have been a victim of a sexual offence, you can call the free helpline on 08088 010 818.<\/strong><\/p>\n Rape and Sexual Violence Project (RSVP)<\/strong><\/p>\n The Rape and Sexual Violence Project – covering Birmingham and Solihull – offers a wide range of services to both survivors and the people supporting you, including compassionate support for male survivors <\/a>and children and young people<\/a>.<\/p>\n You can contact the RSVP for free support via their helpline 0121 643 4136 or info@rsvporg.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n West Midlands Police<\/strong><\/p>\n If you wish to report a sexual offence, no matter when it took place, you can find out more information here.<\/a><\/p>\n If you are in immediate danger, always call 999.<\/p>\n What happens when you ask for Angela?<\/p>\n Staff are advised to take the customer to a \u201csafe place\u201d and inform management first. Then, they are presented with various steps they can take to make the customer feel safe again, such as \u201casking the person causing distress to leave\u201d or \u201csupport the person to leave safely\u201d if they wish to do so.<\/p>\n West Midlands Police<\/a> support Ask for Angela, and advise members of the public to use it if you are feeling \u201cuneasy.\u201d<\/p>\n They also have extra officers patrolling busy nightlife areas at peak times and busy places to help you feel safe.<\/p>\n If you need support for your mental health the following resources are available<\/p>\n The NHS Choices website<\/a> lists the following helplines and support networks for people to talk to.<\/p>\n \u2018Ask for Angela\u2019 was kickstarted by Hayley Crawford, the Substance Misuse and Sexual violence (prevention) strategic Coordinator for Lincolnshire County Council, in 2016.<\/p>\n It was created in memory of Angela Phillips, a woman who was killed by her husband in 2012.<\/p>\n Whilst it is not only made for women, it is a reassuring initiative that can help those who feel unsafe in troubling times of unrest.<\/p>\n Spiking<\/p>\n Spiking is against the law. It\u2019s a serious crime with serious consequences.<\/p>\n Get information on spiking at west-midland.police.uk<\/a><\/p>\n\n