We are pleased to announce that Nottingham Express Transit (the organisation who operate Nottingham’s tram network) became a member of the Consent Coalition this week.

NET pledged their support of the Coalition not long after the unveiling of a tram wrapped in the Night-Time A-Z of Consent.  The tram includes words such as A for Afterparty; E for Expectations; S for Spiking and I for Intervene.  Several NCT buses have also been covered with the campaign, including F – Flirting goes not guarantee anything and G – Groping – unwelcome touch is sexual assault.

This is the second tram to be wrapped in a consent coalition campaign, with the original A-Z still wrapping a tram that was unveiled in March 2022.  The original tram has so far covered over 89,000km of track.  Such visible promotion has led to hits on the coalition’s website more than doubling, helping us to promote further conversations on consent, challenge misinformation on the subject, while directing survivors to support.

NET is the first transport operator in the city to become a supporter of the Consent Coalition This is just one of a number of initiatives and measures NET has in place to help make Nottingham safer. Other measures include well-lit stations and platforms, HD CCTV cameras on all trams, emergency help buttons at all stops and on all trams, and the ability to contact a member of the team discreetly through WhatsApp on 0115 824 6060.

Alison Sweeney, Head of Marketing at Tramlink, said: “The safety of all our tram users is always our prime concern. We already have a number of safety measures in place across the network which all aim to help the people of Nottingham get around safely. However, becoming a supporter of the Consent Coalition is another important way in which we’re helping to make a stand against all sexual violence.

“We stand together with the rest of the Consent Coalition to say that Nottingham will never tolerate any form of sexual violence, and we are committed to ensuring that everyone feels comfortable travelling in the city while using our tram network.”

The Consent Coalition focuses on nine key aims which include, a no tolerance approach, improved understanding, empowerment of victims, empathy, exposing myths and providing access to valuable resources.

Louise Graham, Sexual Violence Lead and Nottingham Consent Coalition co-ordinator, said:

“The Consent Coalition recognises how important it is to work together to tackle sexual violence. By having positive conversations on consent, we challenge sexual violence myths, behaviours and attitudes. The more you know, the more you can influence positive change. We work hard to empower all survivors of sexual violence to seek support, and to report all sexual assaults to the police.

 “Since our launch, the Consent Coalition is now nationally recognised as a best practice model of coordinated partnership work, setting a precedence for other cities. We are really proud that NET is adopting a zero-tolerance stance towards sexual violence by supporting the Consent Coalition and sharing safe, trustworthy, healthy information on consent on their public platforms.”

To find out more about Tramlink, visit: https://www.thetram.net/tramlink-nottingham, and for more information on the Consent Coalition, visit: https://nottssvss.org.uk/consent-coalition/.