The short answer: Ask for Angela is a safety scheme where, if you feel unsafe or uncomfortable in a participating venue, you go to a member of staff and ask for “Angela”. Trained staff will understand that you need discreet help and will support you in the way you want: taking you somewhere safe, helping you leave or stay safely, reuniting you with friends, or contacting emergency services. It started in Lincolnshire in 2016 and is now run across the UK by Ask for Angela CIC, with versions in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and parts of Australia. The key thing to know: it only works in venues that take part, so look for the posters or check the venue map before you go.
This guide explains how the scheme works, where it runs (and where it doesn’t), how to check a venue before a first date or meetup, the myths worth ignoring, and a simple plan for a safer night out. It applies to anyone, of any gender, meeting anyone: a date, a new friend or a group.
How Ask for Angela works
According to the scheme’s own FAQs, it’s a shorthand phrase that “signals a need for discreet support without having to explain the situation.” In practice:
- You go to a member of staff (at the bar, the counter, the door) and say something like “I need to speak to Angela” or “Is Angela here?”
- Staff take you somewhere safe and quiet, away from the person or situation.
- They take their lead from you. The FAQs say staff “take their lead from the person asking for help and support them in the way they want.”
- Support can include helping you leave or stay safely, reuniting you with friends, or contacting emergency services, and in practice venues often help by calling a taxi.
A few important details from the scheme itself:
- It’s for anyone who feels unsafe or uncomfortable, regardless of gender.
- It isn’t a secret code. Posters are displayed openly so people know it exists and feel confident using it. Its strength is that it lets you ask for help without having to explain.
- If a staff member really is called Angela, venues are told to treat the request as an Ask for Angela request anyway.
- It’s free for venues to set up, with free guides, workbooks and posters; training is recommended.
Where it came from
Ask for Angela was founded in 2016 by the Safer Communities Sexual Violence and Abuse Partnership in Lincolnshire, to create safer spaces in the night-time economy. Its creator, Hayley Crawford, was then working as the county’s strategic lead on sexual violence. In a February 2026 interview marking ten years of the scheme, she explained that support services were hearing about frightening experiences linked to internet dates that weren’t showing up in police data, and she wanted to create “a safety net in the venue where people were likely to be going on their dates.”
The idea spread quickly to other areas and police forces. In 2023 it became a Community Interest Company, Ask for Angela CIC, “to ensure greater consistency in how it is implemented”, and it now reaches beyond pubs and clubs into other settings where staff are present.
Where Ask for Angela runs (and where it doesn’t)
This is the part most articles get wrong. Ask for Angela is not available in every pub, bar or restaurant. It works only in venues that have signed up and, ideally, trained their staff.
Across the UK
The scheme is run by Ask for Angela CIC, based in Nottingham, which says it has supported organisations across the UK and that 5,000 venues have adopted it as part of their safeguarding policies and 10,000 people have been trained. Many councils and police forces promote it locally too. In March 2026 the scheme launched a new website and a National Venue Pledge: venues that sign the pledge are added to its venue map, so you can check a venue before you meet someone there. Not every venue that uses the scheme has signed the pledge, so look for the posters too.
Northern Ireland
The Police Service of Northern Ireland launched Ask for Angela in December 2022, with Hospitality Ulster leading venue registration and training. The PSNI publishes a list of registered venues on its website.
Republic of Ireland
A version was rolled out in Ireland from late 2017, starting in Waterford, with pub representative bodies working alongside An Garda Síochána, and posters appeared in pubs in cities including Dublin and Cork. Coverage depends on the individual venue, and there’s no single national list we could verify, so look for posters or ask the venue.
Australia
Versions of Ask for Angela have been run by venues with police and hospitality bodies in some places, including Sydney’s CBD (from 2018) and South Australia (2018). In January 2026 Ask for Angela CIC supported the Government of Western Australia in rolling the scheme out across Perth, and the scheme says it has covered the whole of Western Australia since May 2026. Elsewhere it is not a national scheme, coverage varies widely, and many venues won’t have trained staff. Don’t rely on it unless you can see that the venue takes part. In an emergency in Australia, call 000.
How to check a venue before a first date or meetup
- In the UK: look the venue up on the Ask for Angela venue map (it lists venues that have signed the scheme’s pledge).
- In Northern Ireland: check the PSNI’s list of registered venues.
- Anywhere: look for the posters, usually in the toilets, by the bar or near the entrance. If you’re unsure, it’s fine to ask staff discreetly when you arrive: “Do you do Ask for Angela here?”
- Choose venues with visible staff, a clear bar or counter and decent lighting, whether or not they’re in the scheme.
If a venue isn’t part of the scheme, you can still go to staff and say plainly that you feel unsafe and need help. Most bar and café staff will help, scheme or no scheme.
Myths and related schemes
- “Every pub knows it.” Not true. It’s widespread in the UK but depends on each venue taking part and training staff.
- “It’s a secret code.” It’s deliberately public: the posters are there so people know it exists.
- “It’s only for women.” The scheme says it’s for anyone who feels unsafe or uncomfortable, regardless of gender.
- “Angel shots.” You may see social media posts about ordering an “angel shot” with ice, lime or neat to signal different kinds of help. That’s an informal idea, not part of Ask for Angela, and there’s no official scheme behind it in the UK, Ireland or Australia, so don’t rely on staff recognising it.
- Ask for Clive. A different initiative: the Ask for Angela FAQs describe it as a separate charity promoting LGBTQ+ inclusion in pubs and venues. It isn’t a request for help.
A safer night out: your checklist
Ask for Angela is a useful backstop, not a plan. Combine it with the basics:
Before
- Choose a busy public venue you know; check whether it’s in the scheme.
- Tell a friend who you’re meeting, where and when, and share your location.
- Plan your own way home and check the last train or bus.
- Save the emergency numbers: 999 or 112 (UK), 112 or 999 (Ireland), 000 (Australia).
During
- Spot the posters when you arrive, and notice where staff are.
- Drink at your own pace and keep your drink with you.
- Send your check-in text.
- Leave whenever you want to. You don’t need a reason.
After
- Get home your own way and text your friend.
- Block and report anyone who made you uncomfortable on the app or group where you met.
Our full guide to first date safety tips has more detail, including how to share your location step by step, and our pillar guide to meeting someone from the internet safely covers friend and group meetups.
What to say: scripts for asking for help
| Situation | What to say to staff |
|---|---|
| In a participating venue | “I need to speak to Angela.” |
| Not sure if they’re in the scheme | “Is Angela here?” or simply “I don’t feel safe with the person I’m with. Can you help?” |
| You want to leave quietly | “Could you call me a taxi and let me wait here?” |
| You want to find your friends | “I’ve lost my friends and I’m being bothered. Can you help me find them?” |
| You feel very unwell suddenly | “I think something’s wrong with my drink. I need help.” |
And for the person you’re with, if you just want to go: “I’m heading off now. Take care.” Our guide on how to end a conversation politely has more exit lines, and our list of red flags on a first date covers the signs worth acting on early.
For venue staff and hosts
If you run or work in a venue, or you host meetups, the scheme says implementation is free, with setup guides, team workbooks, posters and a free call with its team; training is recommended. If you host group meetups, choosing venues that display the posters is an easy, visible way to show guests you take their comfort seriously.
How MeetNow fits safer first meetups
MeetNow is our own app (see our disclosure). It’s built around plans rather than profiles, and a few of its basics fit the habits in this guide:
- Plans happen at real public places, such as a restaurant, a bar, a game or a concert, with a set date, time and number of seats, so you can check the venue in advance.
- The host chooses who joins. People ask to join with a short note and the host picks who comes. Hosts can limit who can join (for example by gender or age range), and users can block other users.
- Both sides confirm “we met” afterwards, building each person’s visible track record of actually turning up.
It isn’t a substitute for schemes like Ask for Angela or for your own checks, but it keeps first meetups public and planned.
Want to turn this into an actual plan? MeetNow is a free app for meeting people in person: a host posts a plan at a public place, says who pays (host pays, split, pay your own or free) and picks who joins. It is live on the web now, starting in Malta, with the phone apps on the way: open MeetNow and see the plans near you.
Scheme details last checked October 2026 on the Ask for Angela website and published reports. Coverage changes, so check the venue map or ask the venue.
FAQ
What does Ask for Angela mean?
It’s a phrase you can use with staff in a participating venue to signal, without explaining, that you feel unsafe or uncomfortable and need discreet help. Trained staff will take you somewhere safe and support you in the way you want.
What happens when you ask for Angela?
Staff take you to a safe place and take their lead from you. They might help you leave or stay safely, reunite you with your friends, call you a taxi or contact emergency services.
Does every pub do Ask for Angela?
No. It only works in venues that have signed up and trained their staff. Look for the posters, check the Ask for Angela venue map or, in Northern Ireland, the PSNI list, or ask staff discreetly.
Is Ask for Angela only for women?
No. The scheme says it’s for anyone who feels unsafe or uncomfortable, regardless of gender.
Is Ask for Angela available in Ireland and Australia?
Versions run in Northern Ireland (through the PSNI and Hospitality Ulster), in parts of the Republic of Ireland, across Western Australia, and in some other Australian areas such as Sydney’s CBD and South Australia. Coverage varies a lot, so check for posters at each venue.
Is an “angel shot” the same thing?
No. “Angel shots” are an informal idea shared on social media, not part of Ask for Angela, so don’t count on staff recognising them. If you need help, say so plainly to staff.
What should I do if a venue isn’t in the scheme?
Go to staff anyway and tell them you feel unsafe and need help. Call a friend, ask for a taxi, and if you’re in danger call 999 or 112 (UK), 112 or 999 (Ireland) or 000 (Australia).
