‘Zip-it’ campaign for quieter nights

The ‘Zip-it’ campaign has been developed by the University of Exeter, Students’ Guild and the Devon and Cornwall Police. The campaign is also supported by Exeter City Council, Cllr Percy Prowse, Cllr Philip Brock, and the Exeter Community Safety Partnership.

A series of promotional materials has been designed and various night clubs have agreed to communicate the ‘Zip-it’ message. Revellers leaving clubs will be given lollipops and have their hands stamped with Zippy’s image. Awareness raising events will be held in student halls of residence and managed accommodation.

In a community survey carried out by the University and Students’ Guild at the end of last year, street noise was reported as a problem by 28% of respondents.

Rory Cunningham, Community Liaison Officer at the University of Exeter says: “We recognise that street noise is not exclusively a student issue, but we are keen to do what we can to spread the message amongst the student body. We envisage this campaign to be a long-term, and we have been encouraged by the support and cooperation we have received from other agencies so far.”

This campaign will focus on St James ward initially. The ‘Zip-it’ campaign is being launched this month and will form a large part of Welcome Week events for new students in October. New Community Guide booklets which will be given to students moving into rented accommodation in October will also encourage students to be considerate to their neighbours. The team of 10 University Student Community Wardens will be helping spread the message in student houses.

Matt Richards, Guild Welfare Officer, says “The Guild is pleased to be working alongside the University and other key local partners to deliver this innovative campaign to our student members. The support received from stakeholders has been really encouraging and we hope that the impact the message has makes people aware of the issues caused by late-night noise. The Students' Guild is committed to working with local partners to ensure our students have a positive impact on the local community.”