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Exeter city centre has been awarded Purple Flag status, a national accreditation recognising places that offer safe, inclusive and well-managed evenings and nights out – and it’s a positive step forward for students living and studying in the city.
Everyone has a right to feel safe after dark. Whether you’re heading out with friends, attending late events, working evening shifts or travelling home, students deserve a city that looks out for them.
Purple Flag status recognises the work happening across Exeter to improve safety and wellbeing at night, including strong partnership working, visible policing, improved CCTV, late-night transport options and a more diverse range of activities beyond traditional nightlife.
The accreditation follows an independent assessment by the Association of Town and City Management (ATCM) and was achieved through collaboration between local partners, including businesses, the council, police, transport providers and education institutions.
Putting student safety first
For us, this recognition reflects a shared commitment to making Exeter a place where students can enjoy nights out with confidence, where safety, inclusion and choice are taken seriously.
Kira, your Student Living Officer, said “I’ve been a part of the Purple Flag application for around a year now, and it’s been hugely valuable not only in showing what we’re already doing, but in highlighting what else we can do to create a safer environment for everyone. A lot of the work I do is focused on safety, from helping to plan Reclaim the Night and putting student voice at the heart of the Purple Flag application, to making bystander intervention training mandatory for society committees and lobbying for change in University processes.
I know that there will always be more to do, but safety for everyone is my biggest passion, and I continue to use student voice and work with the University, in the hope that it will be taken forward and expanded to protect all students.”