'Desolate' space lit up to help women feel safer

Lighting has been installed in a dark underpass by a youth group who want to help women feel safer at night.

Local artist Deb Hoy designed the illumination for the space beneath Dudbridge Bridge in Stroud, Gloucestershire, to show the shapes of the moon's phases in a warm light.

The underpass is tucked away beneath a bridge next to the canal and is hidden from the road.

Jasmine, from the youth forum group ST5VYF, described the space as feeling "quite desolate". "It's so dark you can feel on edge and it's quite a long stretch so even a few seconds can feel like a few minutes in this dark, enclosed place," she added.

"The aspect of it being a tunnel, no one can really see you once you're under there and that's an isolating feeling," Jasmine said.

Back in 2022, the nearby Dudbridge Tunnel, which is next to the Sainsbury's roundabout, was painted and cleaned to make it feel safer for people to walk through in response to recent sexual assaults and rape in the town.

Deb Hoy, who was commissioned by the youth forum to work on the latest project, said Stroud was a "community orientated place".

"So knowing this stretch of the canal is going to be more accessible for all different ages and groups within the community, it's a huge asset for everyone," she added.

The new lighting will be officially unveiled between 18:30 and 19:30 and will be powered by renewable hydro energy from the canal's lock system.

The project was funded by National Lottery money sent to the group through Cotswold Canals Connected.

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