A ladies only night has been organised in Hitchin this weekend to raise money for rape and domestic abuse charities, in light of the ongoing conversation around the safety of women and girls.
Emma Hart and Amanda Ashley have organised the event at The Block, which will include karaoke, glitter, face painting and a raffle - with all proceeds going to Rape Crisis and Centre for Women's Justice.
Emma told the Comet: "It's a night out purely for women. With everything coming to light in the news at the moment, we wanted it to be an event where women can feel safe and support each other.
"I just wanted a night where we could all get together and nobody has to worry.
"We have the support of a local taxi firm A-Star Taxis, who have pledged to prioritise cars to guests attending our Safe Celebration of Women so that everyone can get home safely."
Emma has drawn on her own experience of sexual violence, and wanted to help do her bit to tackle the issue of violence against women and girls.
This led the 30-year-old to go for a career change, and she is currently training to become a counsellor with the goal of helping other survivors.
"When the Sarah Everard case came up, I was triggered. I made a decision that I could either be set back, or do something proactive," she said.
Friend and owner of The Block, Amanda, came together with Emma to come up with the idea of the ladies night.
Depending on the success of the first event, Emma hopes it could become a regular fixture.
"I am pretty sure this will go very well, and hopefully we can make this something I can organise more regularly. The response already has been so lovely.
"The moment the noise around this stops, it gets swept under the carpet again. This is a problem for everyone - both men and women. Everyone knows someone who has gone through some sort of harassment or abuse."
The Ladies Night will take place at The Block, in Churchgate, from 8pm to 1am on Saturday.
The event will be complete with an all female staff - from the door to the DJ.
Tickets can be purchased online ahead of the event at https://bit.ly/3oFzUUr, or bought on the door.
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