Last month, Serve Legal audited a number of Colmore venues participating in the ‘Ask For Angela’ initiative.

The five randomly audited venues - The Old Joint Stock, Purecraft Bar & Kitchen, 200 Degrees Coffee, Fogo De Chao (formerly Fazenda) and Gusto Restaurant - each achieved a full 100 per cent pass rate across all audited venues. 

Random auditing measures assesses how well the initiative is being implemented and understood among venue staff and management, ensuring that venues are equipped to respond appropriately when someone seeks help.

Ask For Angela UK is a nationally recognised safeguarding initiative that enables people to discreetly seek support in venues if they feel unsafe, threatened or vulnerable. Independent auditing forms an important part of the programme, helping to ensure participating venues maintain high standards of awareness and response.

Hayley Crawford, founder of Ask For Angela UK, said: "I am delighted those audited venues in the Birmingham Colmore area have shown such a commitment to people's safety ensuring their staff know what to do when someone asks for Angela.

“Thank you to Birmingham Colmore, for their support in ensuring the scheme is implemented effectively."

Paul Street, project manager for Safer Colmore, said: "We're incredibly proud to see our participating venues achieve a 100 per cent pass rate through these independent Ask For Angela audits.

“Creating a safe and welcoming environment for everyone who lives, works and spends time in Colmore is a key priority for the BID, and these results demonstrate the commitment of our hospitality businesses and their staff to supporting that goal.

“We thank all the venues involved for embracing the scheme and helping to make Colmore a safer place for all."

Members of the public can check whether a venue is participating in the Ask For Angela scheme by using the ‘Find a Venue’ tool on the Ask For Angela UK website.