A march organised by a Northampton charity will beat the drum for community safety when it takes place for the first time this Friday.
The maiden Reclaim the Night Northampton will see more than 100 people marching around Abington Park with placards, to promote the message that it is a community-wide responsibility to make the county a safer place.
The event has been organised by Billing Road-based charity, the Northamptonshire Rape and Incest Centre (NRICC).
Reclaim the Night is an international movement which was first held in Pittsburgh, USA, in 1977. The concept came to the UK the same year, and the first one was held in response to the Yorkshire Ripper murders.
More than 100 people have signed up to take part in the Northampton event on NRICC’s Facebook page.
Debbie Galton, chairman of NRICC, said: “It was a very strongly feminist event, for women only. That’s not how we interpret it locally. We want it to be very much a community thing.
“Everyone we have spoken to has been excited about it, and we’ve already had more than 100 people sign up to our Facebook event.
“The whole community is affected by violence and we share responsibility to deal with it.”
The event will also raise awareness of NRICC, which has had a difficult few years since it lost funding from Northamptonshire County Council in 2010.
The charity helps both men and women from the age of 14 upwards.
Mrs Galton said: “Last year, our client numbers were just under 700. That’s a combination of people who have recently been through traumatic events, and historic ones.
“We offer a counselling service which is free for the first 12 months, and we are the only free specialist service of this type locally.”
NRICC also offers an independent sexual violence advisor, and a peer support group service for young women between 14 and 19 years old.
It is currently funded by Northampton Borough Council, the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office.
All are welcome to take part in the march. People should gather by the bandstand at 7.30pm, to set off by 8pm, and there will be awards for the best placards.
For more information call Northampton 250721 or visit the NRICC website.