Sarah Everard: What has changed in Sheffield six months after murder which shook the nation

The 15-minute stretch away from the shopping centre has been described as eerie and dark. It passes by many bushes and it is difficult to see further than what the streetlights along it illuminate.

Six months ago, female staff at Meadowhall raised their concerns about the walk they faced to leave work. They spoke out after the murder of Sarah Everard on March 3. She was walking home from a friend’s house near Clapham Common when she was kidnapped and raped by policeman Wayne Couzens.

Today, the footpath from Meadowhall reportedly has additional security marshals, lighting, signage and mirrors, all brought in because of women being listened to in her wake.

It was hoped Sarah Everard's death would spark a permanent strive for change, both in criticizing men’s attitudes and hearing women’s concerns.

It contrasts bitterly with events in Sheffield last month, when a sculpture dedicated to protesting violence against women in Ponderosa Park was destroyed in a suspected arson attack on August 21, having only been unveiled three weeks earlier.

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The sculpture by women’s safety and feminist group Our Bodies Our Streets was designed to light up at night with poetry about violence against girls.

"Whether it was just kids messing around or a targeted attack, they must have noticed what it was and what it said and they care,” said one group member, Emma Beaumont.

"When [Sarah’s murder] first happened it was topical for such a long time it felt like something would finally change. It’s frustrating that these things sort of lose their momentum though.

"We were so happy with this sculpture. To have that taken away is deeply disappointing.”

Our Bodies Our Streets have worked to keep that momentum rolling in the last six months. A wave of funding for safety has been released by the Government since Sarah’s murder.

When No 10 announced £25m for the Safer Streets Fund for better lighting and CCTV, the group lobbied Sheffield Hallam MP Olivia Blake and raised awareness that there was an abundance of research on how different types and shades of lighting can improve perceptions of safety.

Members got involved with Heart of the City proposals for the planned Pounds Park and discussed how lighting and architecture could make it safer for women to walk through. They also successfully helped raise and pass the Making Sheffield Safer For All motion at Sheffield City Council in June.

Sheffield City Council was contacted to ask what action had been taken using the Safer Streets Fund and through the Safer For All motion so far, but did not reply at time of publication.

As to the change in attitude – that is harder to measure. A survey of 2,000 people by Grazia magazine suggested as many as 48 percent of women do not feel safe, despite 77 percent of both men and women agreeing the tragedy was a defining moment in terms of the conversation around women and safety.

"The intent to change is definitely there," said Emma. "But the physical evidence is lacking. Maybe there just hasn’t been enough of a chance yet.”

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