A great response to the 'Let's Lift the Curfew' event at the Embankment as the need for women's safety is highlighted
Over 70 athletes took part in a flagship event in support of England Athletics and Sport England’s ‘Let’s Lift the Curfew’ initiative at the Embankment Athletic Track.
‘Let’s Lift the Curfew’ is an initiative created and spearheaded by Sport England’s ‘This Girl Can’ campaign. It has been running since October 2023, highlighting women’s stories and concerns around getting active outdoors in the darker months. Alongside this, it called on wider society to acknowledge their role in making getting active outdoors safer for women.
To mark the official end of summertime the Great Peterborough Athletics Network (GPAN), which is a network of 11 athletic and running clubs based both in Peterborough and nearby towns who work together to promote running and athletics to all ages and abilities, organised a number of safe short runs at different paces and distances from the athletics track for any runners who wanted to take up the sport, but were concerned about running in the dark.
Many new runners took part for the first time. After the run, representatives from the clubs were available to answer any questions attendees had.
England Athletics RunTogether groups have re-branded over 350 runs to ‘Let’s Lift the Curfew’ with over 11,500 runners taking part across the country, symbolising a collective effort to defy the restrictions women feel during the darker months and demand urgent change to tackle women’s safety fears.
Mayor of Peterborough, Judy Fox, was in attendance to show support, along with senior figures from England Athletics such as CEO Chris Jones, Board member and Chair of England Council Matthew Dalton, and Head of Participation Programmes, Tracey Francis.
Chris Jones said: “It was great to be there as running is something for everyone, of all abilities, and all backgrounds.”
Matthew Dalton added: “It’s a really cracking initiative, particularly for women who are afraid of necessarily running at night, into our sport. We’re a really inclusive sport for everybody, and this initiative is really boosting that across the country. I was really excited about the numbers. We got people on the track and on the road. Well done to the local network and the clubs for being really supportive of the event.”
Mayor Fox, said: “It’s great to see so many clubs coming, especially, dear to my heart, the Werrington Joggers. I encourage people to join the clubs and make them bigger. One bit of advice I’d give to all runners to run safely at night is to prioritise visibility by wearing reflective clothing, also by using flashing detachable lights if possible. Plan your run by choosing familiar routes and letting someone know your plans before you start.
“Other important factors include carrying a phone for emergencies and running with others if possible rather than alone.”
Tracey Francis said: “The wider context of this is, how do we influence and shape future new housing developments, to create safe routes for children to walk and cycle to school, and community members to walk and run?
“We also need to teach all children from a young age about being respectful to both boys and girls, if we teach respect from an early age, then hopefully we can eliminate sexism, misogyny, and inappropriate behaviours and attitudes towards girls.”
Kate Dale, Director of Marketing at Sport England added: “Every year when the clocks go back, women everywhere see their world get smaller – not because they want to, but because they don’t feel safe going out after dark.
“Women’s safety continues to dominate headlines – an ever-present, stark reminder that this issue hasn’t gone away. And these aren’t isolated stories; they reflect a daily reality that too many of us have accepted for too long. ‘Let’s Lift the Curfew’ is our response to that: a collective stand that says ‘enough’.
“Women shouldn’t have to change their behaviour to stay safe; society should change the behaviours that make them feel unsafe. We’ll keep shouting about it until we see change and we want everyone to raise their voices with us. Because the more of us that speak out, the harder it is to ignore.”
GPAN will be continuing their Try the Track evenings on the first and third Wednesdays of every month throughout the winter from 7- 8pm. The sessions are open to any runners not members of a club ,but who would like to join a local one and run safely under the floodlights at Peterborough Athletic Track.
Runners should pre-register at www.gpan.org.uk/events.