Clear Channel UK Partners with Strut Safe to Support Safe Night Time Journeys

Clear Channel, one of the UK’s leading Out of Home media and infrastructure companies, today announced a new partnership with volunteer-operated phone line, Strut Safe, to highlight the negative effects of street violence and encourage greater awareness of the organisation’s public help service.

The ambition of Strut Safe’s nation-wide phone line is to ensure the safety of all individuals by providing non-judgemental support to anyone in need, whether they are walking home from work, waiting for the bus, or on a night out. By partnering with Clear Channel, details of the Strut Safe support line will be visible across thousands of digital screens across the UK, lighting up the darkness for people who are feeling unsafe.

Founded in March 2021, the organisation’s phone line operates every Friday and Saturday from 7pm-3am and Sundays from 7pm-1am, with plans to expand its hours to cover more days of the week over the next year. In 2023, Strut Safe received the highest volume of calls from London, Southwest UK, and Scotland, with 67% of calls occurring after 11pm. The organisation handled 780 calls overall in 2023, with each lasting an average of just over 10 minutes - and as awareness of their service grows, both the number and duration of calls continue to increase[1].

Strut Safe’s service is not affiliated with the police and is available to all parts of the national community but has found particular solidarity with marginalised people. They provide kindness and reassurance to anyone who needs it during their travels. In a 2021 YouGov Survey, 63 per cent of women ‘always’ or ‘often’ felt unsafe while walking alone at night (a 15 per cent increase from 2018)[2]. And in 2018, Stonewall reported that 44% of trans respondents avoided certain streets because they didn’t feel safe there as an LGBTQIA+ person[3].

As street violence continues to impact individuals nationwide, especially those who identify as part of a marginalised group, it is more important than ever that people are aware of the free support services that are available to them. With this partnership, Clear Channel and Strut Safe hope to significantly increase the safety and wellbeing of night time travellers across the UK, by leveraging the media owner's estate to raise awareness about Strut Safe's invaluable service.

Partnering with the charity Strut Safe, Clear Channel is playing a part in providing a safe haven for people travelling on public transport by integrating contact details for the charity into bus networks across the UK. As reported by the Office of National Statistics (ONS), 58% of women aged 16 to 34 years reported feeling very or fairly unsafe using public transport alone after dark[4].

Strut Safe’s growing team of approximately 50 volunteers stay on the phone with callers until they arrive safely at their destination, offering kindness and reassurance to all, regardless of their journey or background.

“Partnering with Strut Safe aligns perfectly with our commitment to being a platform for good and underscores our dedication to supporting initiatives that make a tangible difference in people's lives," said Martin Corke, chief marketing officer, at Clear Channel. "By leveraging our extensive network and resources, we aim to amplify Strut Safe's messaging with the hopes of positivity influencing community well-being and creating safer communities for everyone." 

Rho Chung, co-founder and director of communications, said, “We started Strut Safe because we wanted to mitigate the harmful effects of street violence on our day-to-day lives. If just one person calls us and feels a bit less alone on their night time journey, then we’ve done our job.”

The campaign will feature on prominent sites including Adshel Live and Billboard Live across the UK, aligning with the start of the 2024 academic year.