Purple Flag

What is the Purple Flag?

The Purple Flag standard, launched in 2012, is an accreditation process similar to the Green Flag award for parks and the Blue Flag for beaches. It allows members of the public to quickly identify town & city centres that offer an entertaining, diverse, safe and enjoyable night out.

Ask for Angela

In conjunction with the purple flag Mullingar also promotes “Ask for Angela”. Everyone is entitled to feel safe on a night out, and, with the help of a campaign called ‘Ask for Angela’, bars and venues across Mullingar have been doing their bit to ensure this. Ask for Angela is a campaign which was started in 2016 and used by bars and other night time venues to keep people safe from sexual assault or uncomfortable situations. When an establishment uses the program, a person who believes themselves to be in danger can ask for ‘Angela’, a fictitious member of the staff. The staff will then help the person get home discreetly and safely by either escorting them to a different room, calling them a taxi and escorting them to it, or by asking the other party member to leave. The scheme is neither gender nor age specific and is available at participating bars, clubs, restaurants, hotels and evening and night time venues throughout Mullingar.

 

Mullingar is proud to have been able to keep its Purple Flag Award since 2015.

Mullingar's Purple Flag

Mullingar was first awarded the Purple Flag Status in 2015, reflecting its vibrant night life. Mullingar has won the prestigious award in 2017 and 2019. Mullingar Chamber are starting our 2021 application of the prestigious Purple Flag on behalf of the town of Mullingar. We are looking for our 4th Purple Flag this year. The Purple Flag is awarded to towns & city centres that offer an entertaining, diverse, safe and enjoyable night out and the award is only held by 14 towns across Ireland so it really is something we should be proud of. The other accredited towns include Ballina, Bray, Carrick-on-Shannon, Ennis, Navan, Sligo, Swords, Waterford, Westport and Killarney.

 

Benefits of the Purple Flag to Mullingar

  • A raised profile and an improved public image for Mullingar
  • Increase in visitors
  • A platform to create an effective long-term plan for change and for mid-term growth.
  • Better communication and stronger relationships between the local authorities, businesses and the general public.
  • Identifying areas of concern within the town for night time use
  • Lower crime and anti-social behaviour and an improved perception of the town
  • More People: More evening and night-time footfall. In the UK footfall in areas with Purple Flag is up to 10% higher.
  • More activity: It becomes easier to plan and introduce new events. The profile of the scheme allows for national activity and national-level promotion.
  • Increasing the profile of both the place at night and the programme as a whole, leading to Better local, regional and international exposure.

Who is on our Mullingar Purple Flag Committee 2021?

We would like to take this time to thank the members of our committee who have given up their time for the Purple Flag. The committee members are Mark Brindley (The Planning Partnership), Sarah Jane Foster [SJF Productions], Dec Murphy [Daly’s Bar], Ruth Illingworth [Author & President of Westmeath Historical & Archaeological Society] Hazel Smyth [WCC] and Roger Nicolson [Gardai]