'Why I'm beginning to question my safety in Sheffield and the one experience that sticks with me'
I do believe Sheffield has so much to offer and is a wonderful place to live, however...
Sheffield has been my home for the past three years, and with its wonderful green spaces and fantastic community feel, I have come to truly love the city.
Unfortunately, in recent times I’ve been surprised to hear increasingly more concerning stories over safety in the city centre.
As a 21-year-old woman, spending time with friends on a Saturday night on West Street is something I enjoy doing. But it definitely isn’t uncommon to receive comments and shouts from drunken men.
After seeing recent reports of attacks against women in the city centre, I have started questioning whether Sheffield is still a safe place to live.
Just this week, there have been multiple stories of violent rape cases against young women in the city centre.
One man was jailed for raping a former Sheffield student who repeatedly told him to stop, this has led her to be put on anti-depressants as she tries to move on from this terrible experience.
In a separate story, The Star revealed that a man who attacked two women in the city centre in one night has also been imprisoned, shortly after his release from prison for another attack.
As a recent graduate myself, I’m grateful to say that most of my memories here are positive, and ones I will take with me and remember throughout my life.
However, there is one experience that has stuck with me, in which a man interrupted and followed myself and four friends one evening in Ecclesall.
It was a dark night in November, and we were excited to be on the way to a makers fair event with food stalls and live music. Our excitement was hindered when a man approached us and asked where we were heading.
Immediately alarm bells were ringing and we made up where we were going, we also headed in the opposite direction, but still he persisted.
I was extremely uncomfortable and began to genuinely worry for our safety, especially as there was nobody else around. It wasn’t until my friend told the man directly to leave us alone, and a passer-by walked past, that he finally left.
Whilst we were lucky this time, I’m aware so many others are not in similar situations.
I do believe Sheffield has so much to offer and is a wonderful place to live, however concerns over my own safety are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.