Lancashire's Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw is leading celebrations as his bid to make Lancashire the first White Ribbon county in the UK has resulted in public sector organisations across the county being accredited by the White Ribbon Campaign.



Blackpool on behalf of the Blackpool Domestic Abuse & Interpersonal Violence (DAIV) Partnership has now received White Ribbon status along with all Lancashire district councils, Lancashire Constabulary, Lancashire County Council, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and several health bodies.

Blackpool’s White Ribbon status marks a commitment and resolve to educate and raise awareness of violence against women and engaging men in this campaign.

This involved each organisation developing an action plan to support raising awareness of the anti-Violence Against Women & Girls (VAWG) campaign, including nominating of at least four male ambassadors to help take the campaign forward.

The Commissioner was joined by Chief Constable Andy Rhodes in hosting a celebration event at the Harris Museum in Preston today, 3 October 2017, to mark the occasion. Events were also held in Blackpool, Burnley and Pendle.

Commissioner Grunshaw and Chief Constable Rhodes accepted the official accreditation from White Ribbon UK alongside representatives from Lancashire County Council as other community leaders from across Lancashire also joined in the celebration.

Blackpool held its own event at the Winter Gardens today (3 Oct) to mark the occasion which was attended by a wide range of stakeholders who signed the White Ribbon Pledge. Attendees included Blackpool Council, Blackpool Teaching Hospital, Lancashire Constabulary, local Domestic Abuse Service Providers, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service and the National Probation Service.

Cllr Graham Cain, Blackpool Council, Cabinet Secretary for Resilient Communities, said: “A campaign such as White Ribbon focuses attention on what are despicable acts of violence against women and the distress of people who witness it.

“By actively engaging more men in the debate about the issues we are taking a positive step towards driving greater awareness of this type of violence in our communities.

“Blackpool Council is proud to have been awarded White Ribbon status and applaud all those involved in working to achieve this accreditation for so many organisations across the county.”

The White Ribbon Campaign is the largest global effort of men working to end male violence against women and Mr. Grunshaw has supported the campaign since he first took office in 2012. Supporters of the campaign are asked to pledge never to commit, condone, or remain silent about men's violence against women in all its forms.

Speaking at the event in Preston, Mr Grunshaw said: "Supporting vulnerable people and victims is a key priority in my Police and Crime plan so I am delighted to see Lancashire become the first White Ribbon County.

"My office and partner organisations have been working towards countywide accreditation over the past year and it's fantastic to see this work pay off.

"Violence against women and girls is unacceptable and shockingly over 90% of domestic abuse is witnessed by children. This has to stop and anything we can do to tackle the issue and get people talking about it has to be a good thing.

"The White Ribbon Campaign is about raising awareness and speaking out against violence and abuse and I am proud to support this.

"I have made specialist support for victims available through Lancashire Victim Services and I would urge anyone affected to contact the service."

People can pledge their support for the campaign online and find out more at http://www.whiteribboncampaign.co.uk/.