Following on from a hugely successful first series of the Right To The Streets edition of the GM Moving Podcast, Manchester’s movement for movement works with MIC once more to share the learnings, journey, joy and challenges of the trailblazing Right To The Streets, safer streets initiative. 

This series of the Right To The Streets edition of the GM Moving podcast isn’t just about problems, it’s about solutions. Join GM Moving as they take you on a joyful journey of discovery through North Trafford, Greater Manchester, where they’re tackling a new approach to street harassment and gender-based violence.

Hear inspiring stories from people making a difference. It serves as a fabulous resource for wider partners and communities who are interested in delivering new ways to tackle street harassment through place-based, whole-system approaches. Whether you are a community leader, citizen, local service provider, politician, commissioner, sports organisation or artist, here’s our invitation for you to take inspiration from GM Moving’s approach and join the Right To The Streets movement where you are. 

Listen to Series 2 of the Right To Street edition of the GM Moving podcast

Right To The Streets – the initiative

In 2022, Greater Manchester Moving was awarded funding through the Home Office Safer Streets Fund to make the streets safer for women and girls through tackling gender-based violence and harassment. The resulting initiative ‘Right To The Streets’ was delivered in North Trafford from September 2022-2023.

Working alongside local people, partners, and system leaders, including Open Data Manchester and Trafford Council, Right to the Streets aims to not only raise awareness of issues such as Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) and street harassment, but to take action by trialling interventions that enable women and girls, and boys and men, to be active citizens in their communities, equipped with the tools, information, networks and agency to stop VAWG, and reclaim their right to the streets.

For more about Right To The Streets and to access all of the helpful resources, see their website here

The Right To The Streets – the podcast – series 2

Across nine episodes we dive into each of the key elements of the Right To The Streets approach. From active bystander training, community street art, co-designed walking maps, and parties in the park, to participatory policy-making and public campaigns.

You’ll hear from lots of the people and partners involved including local citizens, community leaders, politicians, commissioners, sports organisations, artists, comms experts, facilitators, performers and many others, who’ve all been playing a part as part of a whole-system approach to women’s safety and recognising this is a societal not a singular concern. 

Eve Holt, Strategic Leader at GM Moving and podcast host adds,

This Right To The Streets edition of the GM Moving podcast has played and continues to play such a pivotal role in growing the Safer Streets movement. It’s helped us to amplify the voices of lots of different people and organisations, like leaders and decision-makers and importantly people in place (and I mean literally in place, we walked and ran around the streets of North Trafford with them!). 

These authentic conversations not only helped to shape the project but ensured that their experiences, stories and ideas were heard by people much wider than the communities we worked in. This is the power of podcasts.

MIC’s Work

MIC delivered our full-service podcast production to create 17 episodes across these two ambitious series. including key decision makers like Kate Green, Greater Manchester’s Deputy Mayor and lead for policing and crime, strategic leaders including Sacha Lord, Greater Manchester’s Nighttime Economy Adviser, key organisations like Transport for Greater Manchester, the GMCA and Greater Manchester Police, and most importantly lots of local voices like Ruth Hannan from the community garden project Gorgeous Gorse Hill and students from Stretford High School.

Vic Elizabeth Turnbull founder of MIC media comments, 

We’re really proud of the Right To The Streets podcast series and working with GM Moving is always a joy and very eye-opening! Creating safe, joyful and welcoming streets, parks and public spaces for all women and girls is vital and impacts everybody. But it’s not simply up to one person, service, or organisation to make this difference. We all have a role to play. 

This podcast series not only lays out the issues but offers solutions on how local- partnerships and action, across all levels can contribute to our Right To The Street. We hope that it becomes a blueprint from lots more initiatives across the country and we’re pleased MIC media has played a role in this.

Together, let’s shift the dial from fear to freedom. Let’s make every street a place where everyone feels safe, empowered, and heard.