White Ribbon Working Group

The following members sit on this Working Group:

• Councillor Mark Edwardson (WR Ambassador)
• Councillor Rob Moreton (WR Ambassador)
• Councillor Shaun Radcliffe (WR Ambassador)
• Councillor Richard Walton (WR Ambassador, Chair)
• Councillor Kay Wesley (Mayor) (WR Champion)
• David McGifford (Chief Officer and WR Ambassador)
• Jonathan Dakin (WR Ambassador)
• Peter Munro (WR Ambassador)
• Mike Wesley (WR Ambassador)
• Rachel McCarthy (WR Champion)

There are nine more White Ribbon Ambassadors in Congleton who help out but do not attend the Working Group meetings.

Purpose

To promote the White Ribbon values and behaviours as a White Ribbon Town Council. White Ribbon UK was founded in 2005 and is part of a global movement to end men’s violence against women. It is a charity that works with men and boys to challenge those male cultures that lead to harassment, abuse and violence.  Our Congleton goal is ‘to eradicate men’s violence against women and all gender-based violence and abuse’.

Our White Ribbon Priorities are:

• Strategic Leadership- Ensuring policy and practice is compatible with the behaviours required, and creating White Ribbon Ambassadors
• Engagement – Awareness for Councillors and staff, and reaching out more widely e.g.- through partnership with other organisations.
• Culture- Taking action to stamp out sexism and a willingness to report and deal with inappropriate behaviours.
• Raising Awareness- Outreach into the wider community through a broader Communications Plan, encouraging other organisations to become White Ribbon Accredited or Supporter Organisations.

Next Steps

• More work with local schools especially in years 7-11
• Reach out to more Primary Schools
• Engage with football, rugby and other sports clubs

Progress in 2024

• Ambassador Jonathan Dakin gave a talk at the All Saints Parish Breakfast in April 2024
• Ambassadors Jonathan Dakin and Yacob Cajee delivered a workshop on harmful gender stereotypes at Astbury St Mary’s Primary School.
• Jonathan Dakin and Mike Wesley, WR Ambassadors, gave a talk at Mossley Mothers Union
• Street stalls in Congleton Town Centre
• Engagement with local pubs to encourage the use of ‘anti-spiking’ posters (addressing perpetrators)
• Met with Congleton High School Headteacher to discuss becoming a White Ribbon School
• Closer working with Cheshire Constabulary, including local officers becoming Ambassadors

White Ribbon Day 2024

The Congleton team had a stall in the Town Centre and a ‘Drop-in’ session in the Town Hall, and there were activities throughout the ’16 days of activism’ against violence, including:

• Outdoor Awareness Campaign
• Ambassador Letters to the Congleton Chronicle
• White Ribbon talks at Congleton High School for Years 10, 11, 12 and 13
• Press coverage and a radio interview with BBC Stoke
• Pub Tour, distributing posters and beer mats
• Social Media and Online – more than 22,000 views of our posts
• Ambasssadors featured in a National Association of Local Councils ‘Male Allyship’ article
• Our Flagship ‘It Starts with Men’ Film made by Prickly Peach Films and featuring Ambassadors, the local MP, the PCC, Business Owners, Police/Fire Officers and students from Congleton Sixth Form. Part of it was used by White Ribbon UK in their round-up of the 2024 campaign.

You can read more in our White Ribbon 2024 Report:

Progress in 2023

• Connection made with Crewe Town Council which has become White Ribbon Accredited. The teams plan to share ideas and resources.
• Congleton High School Students in years 12 and 13 took part in a White Ribbon and Active Bystander training – December 2023 – run by Jonathan Dakin and Mike Wesley
• White Ribbon Campaign in November/December 2023 featured videos, media, social media and outdoor promotion
• Cllr Mark Edwardson presented on White Ribbon at the NALC (National Association of Local Councils) National Assembly.
• Congleton Town Council took part in the NALC and the CEC/myCWA White Ribbon Campaign Videos
• Cllr Richard Walton and Peter Munro attended the White Ribbon Cheshire Conference
• Cllr Richard Walton attended the national White Ribbon Conference
• The White Ribbon Team had stalls at Astbury Mere and Congleton Town Centre in summer 2023
• Cllr Wesley helped NALC become White Ribbon Accredited
• Eaton Bank Academy students in years 12 and 13 took part in a White Ribbon session in January 2023 delivered by Mike Wesley, Jonathan Dakin and Cllr Kay Wesley. The presentation encouraged students to challenge sexism and harassment, and join the White Ribbon Campaign. Read more: Students encouraged to be Active Bystanders

White Ribbon Day 2023

The Congleton team had a stall at the Christmas Lights Switch on and the November Maker’s Market and there were activities throughout the ’16 days of activism’ against violence, including:

• Outdoor Awareness Campaign
• Ambassador Letters to the Congleton Chronicle
• White Ribbon Conferences
• Video campaign with young people, Ambassadors, clergy and Police
• Videos for myCWA and NALC
• Press coverage
• Social Media and Online

You can read more in our White Ribbon 2023 Report:

Progress in 2022

• Ambassadors visited Eaton Bank Academy, Congleton High School and Alsager School to give White Ribbon Talks
• During the World Cup 2022, Ambassadors placed White Ribbon Posters around the town and in pubs and sports clubs.
• We supported the Cheshire East ‘Shout’ Campaign for young people challenging harassment
• Ambassadors, the Police and local school students made a series of White Ribbon Videos
• The Congleton team helped the National Association of Local Council with its White Ribbon Project and it is now intending to get accreditation. We also took part in its NALC White Ribbon Video.

White Ribbon Day 2022

The Congleton team had a stall at the November 2022 Maker’s Market and there were activities throughout the ’16 days of activism’ against violence, including:

• Outdoor Awareness Campaign
• Ambassador Letters
• White Ribbon Conference
• Video campaign with young people and Police
• myCWA and NALC videos
• Church service at United Reformed Church
• Press coverage
• Social Media and Online

You can read more in our White Ribbon 2022 Report:

Progress in 2021

• The Town Council has been supportive of My Cheshire Without Abuse setting up weekly domestic abuse clinics in the Old Saw Mill. It now runs a peer support group as well as the clinic, and has had some people come to the clinic concerned about their own behaviour.
• Ran two Town Centre stalls

White Ribbon Day 2021

The CEO of White Ribbon UK wrote to White Ribbon Congleton to personally thank us for our activities during the 16 day national White Ribbon campaign. See the campaign report here:

A major highlight was more than 60 residents signing up to make the White Ribbon Promise.

The White Ribbon Ambassadors compiled a series of videos to explain the importance of the White Ribbon group in Congleton and how #AllMenCan step up to prevent violence and abuse. Watch the full playlist here: White Ribbon Video Playlist

Partners: This group collaborates with the following:

• myCWA- formerly Cheshire Without Abuse
• Cheshire East Council
• Congleton Partnership
• Schools in the Congleton area
• Pubs, clubs and sports groups
• The group has a Facebook Group for men who want to discuss strategies to talk about VAWG in their peer groups. See: https://www.facebook.com/groups/congletonwhiteribbon
• Support organisations as required to promote behaviours compatible with White Ribbon.

How Can You Help: Do you work with a community group, charity or youth group that might have some contribution to make? Do you have knowledge or ideas about shaping positive behaviours or combatting gender-based violence? Please get in touch to send us your ideas or volunteer to help, email us at info@congleton-tc.gov.uk

Last updated: 21 January 2025