Celebrate – and get home safe…

Care and support to city centre revellers will be available at the Peterborough Departure Lounge this festive season.
 Formerly known as the special care tent, it will now be called Peterborough Departure Lounge with a new location in front of Bayard Place in Broadway, Peterborough

Over recent years the SaferPeterborough partnership has provided festive revellers with a care tent offering first aid and support based in Laxton Square, Peterborough.
 This year is no exception, however, the focus and energy will be on ensuring partygoers are ending their celebrations with a safe, planned and successful journey home, without any unexpected turbulence.

Peterborough Departure Lounge will be open on Saturday, 21 December and Tuesday, 31 December between 10 pm and 4 am, and will offer a simple mixture of hot drinks, water and advice for ensuring a hassle free trip home. 
The lounge, supported by Cambridgeshire Police, will provide a dry and safe stop off point staffed by council, police and nursing staff who are on hand to give practical advice and support about onward journey plans.

‘Incidents of violence in the city centre have been dramatically reduced’

Gary Goose, Safer Peterborough partnership Strategy Manager for Peterborough City Council, said: ‘In previous years this facility has been medically focused. However, with the continued support of the police, licensing officers, Security Industry Accredited doorstaff and venues, it is pleasing to see that incidents of violence in the city centre have been dramatically reduced. This means that we can now reduce the need for medical support to a level more appropriate to the anticipated demand this festive period.

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‘Providing this type of support ensures everyone can both have a fun night out and a safe journey home’

The new style departure lounge will still offer first aid support, however, the main focus is ensuring that a good night out in our vibrant city centre continues with a safe journey home and the departure lounge will support anyone who needs their journey home co-ordinated.  Councillor Irene Walsh, Cabinet Member for Community Cohesion and Safety, said: ‘This facility is a great example of how agencies from across the city are working together. Christmas and New Year are two of the busiest times of the year so providing this type of support ensures everyone can both have a fun night out and a safe journey home.

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If you are on an evening out in the city centre and your plans on how to get home unexpectedly change then make sure you don’t fly off into the night without checking into the Peterborough Departure Lounge for help and advice.