Hundreds of women took to the streets to demand safety for women and girls at this year’s Reclaim the Night (RTN) march.
Around 350 women gathered in Sneinton prior to setting off to hear speeches from Justine Weston, Chair of the Board of Trustees at Nottingham Women’s Centre, and a spoken word performance from Davina Songbird.
Led by an all-female drumming group, the march made its way through the city centre before finishing at Nottingham Trent University’s student union.
Reclaim the Night has a long history in Nottingham with the first marches happening in the city in the 70s.
Karen Jardine, from Nottingham Sexual Violence Support Services, is part of the steering group that organises the event, and emphasised the importance of inclusivity at this year’s march: “This year with everything that’s been going on with the [anti-immigration] protests and the negative news at the minute, we’ve tried to be much more deliberately inclusive
“It’s really important for us to be purposefully inclusive and to say, actually, we are here for every woman, every person who identifies as a woman.”
Nottingham Women’s Centre organised the march with support from several other groups to make it an inclusive event.
This included having stewards, considering the needs of disabled marchers or those with mobility issues, and ensuring the march stayed women-only by asking male supporters to refrain from marching with the group.
There was also an emphasis on trans-inclusivity in the lead up to the march, with much of the marketing for the event making it clear that any self-identifying woman was welcome.
Claire Eden, a board member of Nottingham Women’s Centre and Head of Fundraising and Communications at Framework Housing Association, was a warden for the march.
Claire said:
“Women don’t feel as if they can walk through the streets, I know lots of young women who don’t feel like they can walk home at night, and this is just about us saying we have a right to be here.”
The march finished at Nottingham Trent University’s Student Union with closing speeches.
Nottingham Women’s Centre Chair Justine Weston said: “I think it’s just been absolutely fantastic.
“A huge turnout and just the most amazing, powerful energy from the women of Nottingham.
“I think women have come from all corners of the city, all walks of life and brought all of their energy and passion tonight.”
Reclaim the Night is an annual event. For more information visit, https://reclaimthenightnottingham.wordpress.com/
