A bid to ‘Turn Nottingham Orange’ to raise awareness about domestic abuse is being launched for a second year by leading city charity Juno Women’s Aid.
Juno is urging people to create a sea of orange — with clothing, flags, lighting, and fundraising events — as part of the annual worldwide 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, which starts on Monday, 25 November.
Last year saw several organisations in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire taking part to raise awareness and much-needed donations to support the work of Juno, the city’s largest domestic abuse charity. The colour orange has been chosen to signify solidarity and hope for a brighter future.
Tasarla Larner, Juno’s fundraising and communications manager, who is coordinating the charity’s campaign, said:
“We had a fantastic response last year with a number of the city’s buildings being lit up in orange and many work colleagues wearing the colour for the day and posting photos on social media.
“We hope that even more people, businesses, and organisations will get behind the campaign this year to raise awareness and make a small donation. We know from those we talk to that people want to be involved in something meaningful and be part of the drive to change attitudes towards violence against women and girls.”
At least one in 12 women in England and Wales will be a victim of violence each year, according to a recent report by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing. Describing an ‘epidemic’ of offending, it found a 37% increase in violent crimes against women and girls from 2018 to 2023.
Juno’s latest figures for 2023–24 reveal it worked with 2,980 women — an increase of nine percent on the previous year — and 501 children, a six percent rise. The charity receives more than 16,000 calls to its helpline each year.
It offers a drop-in service, refuge provision, specialist one-to-one and community outreach support for women, children, and young people, justice team support through civil and criminal court proceedings, and group work programmes.
Juno also recently revealed a new, ambitious direction by purchasing eight safe properties to allow survivors of domestic abuse to make a fresh start in new homes, thanks to £3m of social investment. Plans for a further 20 properties are in the pipeline.
Juno CEO Yasmin Rehman said: “Sadly, our work in supporting women and their children in fleeing abusive relationships is an ongoing necessity, but it is heartening to see so much widespread support for our services.
“We always say that domestic abuse, if someone is affected by it, is an experience in their life — it should not define them for the rest of their life. By raising awareness, we can all join together in calling out misogynistic, violent, and oppressive behaviour and help women to rebuild their lives.”
The global 16 Days of Activism campaign, which began in 1991, runs from 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to 10 December, Human Rights Day. Supported by the United Nations, it aims to raise awareness about violence against women and girls and its impact.
Around 30 companies, organisations, and individuals took part in last year’s ‘Turn Nottingham Orange’ day, with Experian’s Nottingham building glowing with the colour.
Lighting up its building in orange again this year will be Nottingham’s canalside dining and events space, 1 The Island Quarter. Liam Morgan, business development manager, said:
“We are proud to continue our support of Juno and its ‘Turning Nottingham Orange’ campaign, with our commitment to this cause only growing stronger. Serving as a landmark in Nottingham, the roof of our 1 The Island Quarter building will be lit in orange once again from Monday, 25 November, serving as a beacon of hope and awareness, while standing in solidarity with survivors of domestic abuse.
“This campaign acts as a powerful reminder that violence against women and girls cannot and must not be tolerated. This year, we are striving to continually grow our involvement and work closely with the Juno team to help shift public attitudes and foster a culture of safety and support for all across our community and beyond.”
There are various ways that people can take part in the campaign:
- Share your orange efforts on your social media platforms and tag Juno, using the hashtags #Orange4Juno and #16DaysActivism.
- Donate to the campaign at https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/turningnottinghamorange.
- To download Juno’s campaign pack to share with your networks, visit: https://junowomensaid.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Turning-Nottingham-Orange-16-Days-Juno.pdf-1.pdf.
