Leeds Festival is one of the 103 festivals that has committed to the campaign.
1 in 5 festival-goers experience sexual assault or harassment at a UK festival. That's according to a 2018 YouGov report. Whilst this is what is called a lifetime statistic that isn't connected event or year- and shows that we need to do so much more to tackle sexual harassment and violence at festivals.
This year, festivals across the UK are hoping to change this, including Reading and Leeds Festival, Bluedot, Dot to Dot, Kendal Calling, Latitude, NASS, Parklife, Tramlines and Y Not? Festival.
The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) announced this morning that over 100 festivals across the UK has signed up to commit to the Safer Spaces at Festivals campaign.
Image: Leeds Festival
The idea is that the campaign will tackle sexual violence at 2022 festivals and beyond. Relaunching from today, the AIF is working with Rape Crisis England And Wales, Good Night Out, Safe Gigs For Women, Girls Against and UN Women and has updated an charter of best practice developed with input and guidance from experts, which all festivals participating have committed to following.
A statement made by the AIF states that an important part of the charter is that it "states all allegations of sexual harassment, assault and violence will be taken seriously, acted upon promptly and investigated. This will be supplemented by a commitment to clear, robust reporting and disclosure procedures, including how to report incidents onsite and post event".
Training will also be given to staff and volunteers on how they can proactively monitor and deal with incidents of sexual assault or harassment by specialist providers.
Part of the campaign will see an update in festival policies to include all the relevant health guidance, promote the idea that consent can be revoked at any time and advise festival-goers on how to be an 'active bystander' by using a tactic known as the '5 D's of Bystander Intervention devised by the Right To Be' which include: Direct, Delegate, Distract, Document and Delay.
Image: AIF
AIF Membership & Operations Coordinator Phoebe Rodwell said: “The original Safer Spaces campaign has had a positive impact across festivals for music fans and festival staff alike. Festivals are microcosms of society and sexual violence is a problem that persists in our society.
"Our understanding and approaches to tackling the issue are evolving all the time. That’s why it’s important that we renew the Safer Spaces campaign in 2022 with up-to-date messaging, resources and practices, to prevent sexual violence and promote a survivor-led approach, helping festival organisers to fulfil their duty of care at events.”
Whether you're a student or not, Bakery 164 is a Leeds staple.
And you really can't miss it either.
Standing proudly opposite the Parkinson Steps on the corner of Woodhouse Lane, their bright yellow and red canopy lures you in if the inviting smell of fresh bread hasn't already.
They've been serving the students of Leeds since 1994, and are known for their specialist sandwiches that won't break the bank.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
On a lunchtime you'll have to join the queue of hungry students looking to get their fix, but it's well worth the wait.
The bread is what they do best, every evening they hand mix and hand shape their ciabatta and focaccia dough, which is then baked overnight so it’s fresh out of the ovens in the morning.
Then come the fillings, at Bakery 164 they specialise in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavours, using seasonal ingredients and local produce wherever possible.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Signature sandwiches include grilled chicken, halloumi and bacon with chilli mayo, prosciutto, mozzarella, pesto and sun-dried tomato as well as meatballs and mozzarella with Reggae Reggae sauce.
A price for a sandwich comes in at around a fiver, and they easily wipe the floor with any meal deal sarnie you can grab from a supermarket round the corner.
Just choose your sandwich, take it to the till and they'll warm it up for you there and then at no extra cost.
And it's not just sandwiches, they've also got fresh coffee on offer to keep you going between lectures as well as a selection of freshly baked cakes and sweet treats.
Government announces all national museums across the UK will remain FREE for everyone to visit
Emily Sergeant
Dozens of national museums across the UK are set to remain free for everyone to visit, it has been confirmed.
Funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), the 14 national museums of the UK are all located in England – including the Royal Armouries in Leeds – and free entry to was first introduced all the way back in 2001, with millions of visitors having benefitted since.
National museums are said to add more than £1 billion a year to the economy, and bring in visitors from all over the world.
In fact, seven of the UK’s 10 most visited museums are national museums, and 7.1 million people visited the Natural History Museum and 6.4 million visited the British Museum in 2025 alone.
Earlier this year though, the Government committed to working with local leaders and the museum and tourism sectors to explore whether charging overseas visitors could help museums’ finances.
But following this, it’s now believed that charging could deter visitors, and that the impacts and benefits would ‘not be felt equally’ across the sector.
The Government has announced that all national museums in the UK will remain free for everyone to visit / Credit: Science Museum Group
Instead, the free entry will be funded by the £1.5 billion Arts Everywhere Fund – which is providing £760 million for museums – while £600 million of infrastructure funding is supporting national museums and DCMS-sponsored cultural organisations.
The latter funding will be used to address critical maintenance and works to estates, and enable institutions to deliver on their commitments to share collections with visitors from around the world.
A further £160 million is coming from The Museum Estates and Development Fund to help museums tackle maintenance backlogs.
On top of that, the Government will work with Arts Council to develop a long-term strategic plan for the future of museums.
Sophie Smith -
16th May 2022 
