Students said they felt safer on a night out thanks to a new app that allows them to discreetly send urgent messages.
The app, Flare, was created by three Cambridge University graduates with the aim of improving campus safety.
Co-founder Gabriel Brown said he hoped it would provide students with “extra confidence” in situations where they may feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
“Ultimately, it’s the kind of app you want to use but never want to use,” user Ruby Klein, 20, said.
Released last week, Flare – Stay Safe allows users to text pre-written emergency messages to trusted contacts through the app or by tapping a notification on their phone’s locked home screen. can.
Mr Brown, 21, who created the free app with King’s College alumni Morgan Saville and Geno Rachlin Usher, hopes the app will encourage students who are reluctant to call emergency services. He said he looks forward to providing it.
Brown said he has had situations in the past where he wishes the app had existed, including walking home from a night out in Cambridge and being heckled by cyclists because he was gay. He said there was.
He said: “I remember feeling incredibly uncomfortable… I remember them cycling around me. I remember pulling out my phone and my fingers shaking and I typed in 999. However, we thought this was probably not life-threatening.”
“Many people may feel at risk but don’t want to bother emergency services, so this app lets loved ones and trusted friends know if they need help or are feeling anxious. Designed to provide an extra layer of protection by allowing you to be notified of your safety. “
Ruby Klein, 20, a student at the University of Cambridge, is one of the users of the app.
she said: “At the end of the day, this is the kind of app you want to use but never want to use.”
For many young people, college is the first time they’ve lived away from home, and “It’s the first time they’ve ever gone missing for days on end and not seen anyone or heard anything.
“Since I’ve been able to text, I feel safer going home at night,” she says.
She also said she would “feel much better” if her friends and housemates had the app on blind dates and nights out.
For Nabil Khan, a third-year medical student at the University of Exeter, he felt the app offered a “safety net” not only for student nights out but also for participating in protests.
She said: “I remember going to the protests in London and being very confused. It’s not necessarily dangerous, but it can be overwhelming.”
spike
Mr Brown said the app was being used by 15 student unions and organizations across England who had been asked to become part of the app’s advisory board.
Naomi Vince, 20, is president of the Trinity College Students’ Union at the University of Cambridge, and decided to promote the app to students as part of a safety campaign.
She said, “I was able to hear experiences from other people about what I went through myself when I was spiked and the helplessness of it all. It’s almost like a little safety net.” Ta.
“I hope nothing happens, but at least if you’re worried you can do something instead of feeling helpless.
“When you’re in that state, [after spiking], you’re not making the most rational decision, but this is an easy pre-planned message to send to a trusted friend. ”
She said she hopes future advice on the app will lead to improvements such as location sharing, which the founders said they are currently working on.
Follow news from the East of England Facebook, Instagram and X. Do you have a story? Email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp 0800 169 1830