In the wake of Sarah Everard’s tragic murder and a surge in discussion about harassment, violence against women and our right to protest, Lucy and Sophia chatted to Al about her pioneering work as an activist, her thoughts on these enduring issues, and the work that’s been done by Leeds City Council and your Exec team to make the Headingley Stadium alleyway safer for students and locals.
The full video is available to watch below.
Student safety improvements in Headingley
If you don’t have the time to listen in full, we wanted to let you know about the improvements that have been made to the Headingley Stadium alleyway following a lobbying programme from Exec teams at LUU and Leeds Beckett, and Reclaim Headingley Alleyway. After they raised your concerns about the safety issues in this area, the following measures have been taken:
- CCTV has been installed
- Existing lighting has been replaced with brighter luminescence lighting
- Foliage has been cut back to make the alley more visible
- A mural will be created by local women artists
- Ongoing work to support and encourage neighbours to cut back further foliage
LUU’s Welfare Officer Sophia Hartley commented:
“Safety should not be a privilege but a human right. That is why it is so brilliant to see the lobbying efforts from Reclaim Headingley Alleyway and student unions including LUU paying off in creating a safer environment for our student body. The power of campaigns, such as Reclaim Headingley Alleyway, should not be underestimated. They exemplify how powerful grassroots student movements can be when we mobilise students, online or in person, and stand up against injustice.
“However, student safety continues to be a pressing issue for our community, and the efforts don’t stop with Headingley Alleyway. LUU’s Community Officer Lotti Morton and I are currently planning an organised approach with Bradford, Huddersfield, and Leeds SUs and the newly elected Mayor (come May 6th) to discuss how we can influence the West Yorkshire Safety Strategy, to mark students as a vulnerable group and have a student seat at the table in future decision making.
“Lotti and I will also be presenting this idea to Better Forums in May to ensure LUU continues to work with key stakeholders in the city to keep students safe.”
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Sophia continues to work on tackling sexual violence as one of her core campaigns as LUU’s Welfare Officer, and has recently published an update on her work towards a Reformed Institution-wide approach to Tackling Sexual Violence. Read what she had to say and keep up to date with how this crucial project progresses on our campaign page.
