It's a simple idea: you're on a date or a night out and you feel uncomfortable. You go to the bar and ask for Angela. The staff take you to a discreet area or room and get you safely out of the premises and into a taxi, in touch with a friend or, if necessary, the Gardaí. Ask for Angela is a safety campaign that started in Waterford just before Christmas and is spreading nationally. Drivetime's Graham Clifford spoke to publicans about the initiative.
Jim "Flash" Gordon, owner of the Revolution Bar in Waterford city centre, told Graham how the Ask for Angela initiative works in his premises:
"We just ask is everything ok? Do you need to get out a back door? Can we call you a taxi? Have you a friend we can call for you?"
He explained that he could see the initiative working for people on a first date, possibly with someone they've met online, people in a group where someone is making inappropriate advances or where someone has taken something that makes their friends think they may be a danger to themselves or others.
Kim O'Brien works behind the bar in the Revolution. She told Graham that she welcomes the Angela initiative and she told Graham that all the bars in Waterford are on board with the campaign.
"It's nice that you can put your trust in someone, for that person to actually help you and not judge you."
You can hear Graham's full report for Drivetime by clicking on the image above.