Everyone across Bassetlaw is encouraged to use a free personal safety app, as darker evenings draw in and the festive season approaches.

North Notts BID is encouraging the public to download the WalkSafe app and familiarise themselves with its safety features, while encouraging businesses to raise awareness among staff and customers.

Launched in 2024 by North Notts BID as part of the North Notts Business Crime Reduction Partnership offer, WalkSafe helps users plan journeys, share their location with trusted contacts and set an expected arrival time, with alerts sent if they do not arrive as planned.

The app also highlights local crime hotspots, registered safe venues and refuge points and includes an SOS function for users who need assistance.

WalkSafe helps users plan journeys, share their location with trusted contacts and set an expected arrival time, with alerts sent if they do not arrive as planned.

placeholder image — WalkSafe helps users plan journeys, share their location with trusted contacts and set an expected arrival time, with alerts sent if they do not arrive as planned.

Since its launch, WalkSafe has recorded significantly high levels of engagement by users across the district, with more than 24,000 in-app events, including interactions with screens and features, alongside more than 15,000 QR code scans.

Users spend more than five minutes in the app on average, indicating it is an important tool that people are using when planning safe journeys.

Sally Gillborn MBE, chief executive of North Notts BID, said people need to familiarise themselves with the app now, adding: “WalkSafe offers practical tools to help people plan their journeys and stay connected with friends and family when travelling around the district.

“By sharing their location with trusted contacts and identifying safe venues along the way, users can make more informed decisions about their journeys.”

North Notts BID also invites hospitality venues across Bassetlaw to register as safe space venues on the WalkSafe app, helping users identify businesses where they can seek support if they feel uncomfortable or unsafe.

To qualify, venues must provide at least one of the following: Ask for Angela, Best Bar None accreditation, active bystander training, on-site security, mobile phone charging facilities, sanitary products or an LGBTQIA+-friendly environment.

Ask for Angela gives people a discreet way to request help from venue staff if they feel threatened or unsafe while socialising. The initiative complements WalkSafe’s wider aim of promoting safer socialising.

Sally added: “Hospitality businesses also have an important role to play in creating a safer night-time economy. By registering as WalkSafe venues and making initiatives such as Ask for Angela visible to customers, they can help ensure people know where to turn if they need assistance.

“We’d encourage more venues across Bassetlaw to get involved, helping to build awareness of the support available and make safety a shared priority for everyone living in, working in or visiting the district.”

WalkSafe complements North Notts BID’s wider work to support businesses and improve safety across the district. This includes the DISC crime reporting app, which helps businesses report and share information about crime; a digital radio scheme that supports communication between businesses and relevant partners, and Night Angels, a support service operating within the Saturday night-time economy.

The BID also supports the evening economy through Best Bar None accreditation, which recognises venues that meet standards designed to promote responsible management and safer socialising.

The WalkSafe app is available to download for free on the App Store and Google Play Store.

For more information, visit the North Notts BID website at https://northnottsbid.co.uk.