The Skyline festival has announced new policies to protect women, ahead of their next event in Sheffield’s Kelham Island.
Co-founders of Skyline festival, Phil Mccue, 22, and Simon Tomlinson, 34, told ShefNews they hoped the measures would create a safe and inclusive environment for women.
The new safety policy, developed by leading women in the industry alongside the Women’s Safety Charter, introduced a dedicated WhatsApp number where festival goers can report sexual abuse and harassment.
Tomlinson said: “If a girl has been harassed or abused at an event the likelihood is she wouldn’t feel comfortable going up to the bar and ‘asking for Angela’.”
Skyline Festival was launched in 2022 and attracts thousands of music lovers from across Sheffield. Based in iconic venues across Kelham Island including Peddler Warehouse, Yellow Arch and The Factory Floor, the festival hosts an array of local DJs, food stalls and live entertainers.
Organisers also introduced a welfare policy, alongside a neighbourhood policy in collaboration with the Kelham Island and Neepsend Community Alliance (KINCA).