Making Cardiff a safe city

The tragic incident of Sarah Everard in March 2021 was a catalyst for global discussion about the safety of women.

With Freshers Week 2021 set to be even bigger than before – the first post-pandemic – more females aged 18-24 would be walking the streets of Cardiff’s capital after dark, many unfamiliar with the area.

The brief:

• Create a network of Safe Places in Cardiff through a collaboration between businesses
• Raise awareness of the safe places in Cardiff that are available to women day and night

Inspired by the Hands Away campaign in Paris, the lighting up of 35 digital screens on key routes home across the city was a UK first.

From 8pm-2am the white glow of the ads guided people home safely.

A QR code to the Safe Places app directed people to their nearest safe place where they would be supported by someone to call emergency services, call a cab and generally offer comfort.

As an added safety measure, we collaborated with Welsh TikTok star, Ellis Lloyd Jones, to record a dummy call for people to play aloud to suggest a friend knew their location – another first.

The campaign was supported by national news coverage, social media content and 75,000 beer mats in pubs and bars across the city with the QR code.