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Time to end the curfew on women's freedom during darker months

27th October 2025

Let's Lift the Curfew returns for 2025 with over 320 organised runs and a renewed call for action on women’s safety and freedom to be active after dark.

It's time to end the curfew. Thousands of women and their allies will take to streets, parks and trails across the country this week, demanding the freedom to get active after dark.

Our Let’s Lift the Curfew campaign is back for 2025 – and we’re more determined than ever to bring about change.

Every winter, safety fears push women indoors. Our research findings are stark: almost three-quarters (72%) of women in the UK change how and when they get active outside once the clocks go back. 

Nearly a quarter of women (23%) avoid certain areas after dark. One in five (20%) constantly check over their shoulders. And with the onset of colder weather and shorter days, this isn’t just inconvenient – it’s a threat to women’s physical and mental health.

Runners pose with Let's Lift the Curfew signs in front of glow-in-the-dark footprints at night in Manchester

Now in its third year, Let’s Lift the Curfew is a rallying cry for solidarity and action, amplifying women’s voices and calling out the barriers that stop many women from moving freely outdoors in winter – from fear of harassment and abuse to poor lighting.

For our director of marketing Kate Dale, the message is clear: women shouldn’t have to adapt – society should.

"Every year when the clocks go back, women everywhere see their world get smaller – not because they want to, but because they don’t feel safe going out after dark," she said.

"Women’s safety continues to dominate headlines – an ever-present, stark reminder that this issue hasn’t gone away. And these aren’t isolated stories; they reflect a daily reality that too many of us have accepted for too long. Let’s Lift the Curfew is our response to that: a collective stand that says ‘enough’.

"Women shouldn’t have to change their behaviour to stay safe; society should change the behaviours that make them feel unsafe. We’ll keep shouting about it until we see change and we want everyone to raise their voices with us. Because the more of us that speak out, the harder it is to ignore.

"Our movement is powered by community, empathy and allyship. When we come together, we show that belonging starts when everyone feels free to move."

Join the movement

With support from GoodGym and England Athletics, we’re hosting more than 320 events from Brighton to Newcastle this week, symbolising a shared commitment to reclaiming public spaces and showing that women’s safety when they choose to be active is everyone’s responsibility.

You can join a local event or host your own, logging your activity on Strava and sharing it on social media using #LetsLiftTheCurfew and tagging @thisgirlcanuk.

Make noise, take up space, demand change and let’s lift the curfew, together.

A foot runs over glow-in-the-dark footprints on the ground, one of which has the word 'scary' written on it

Let’s Lift the Curfew is also a call to action, urging communities, organisations and local authorities to contribute to lasting change – from fostering greater education and cultural awareness around women’s safety and allyship, to ensuring public spaces and outdoor areas are designed with women’s needs in mind.

"Women shouldn’t have to change their behaviour to stay safe; society should change the behaviours that make them feel unsafe. We’ll keep shouting about it until we see change and we want everyone to raise their voices with us. Because the more of us that speak out, the harder it is to ignore."

Kate Dale

Marketing director, This Girl Can

Learn more

Find more information and resources to host your own event.

Let's Lift The Curfew