A swathe of Merton businesses are to join a Safe Haven refuge scheme after AFC Wimbledon broke new ground by becoming the borough’s first.
Safe Havens provide temporary refuge for those lost, in distress or fleeing domestic violence, set up by the Safer Business Network that already promotes and trains staff for the well-known ‘Ask For Angela’ scheme.
The League One side had been the first business in Merton to sign up and can provide water, temporary hospitality, phone charging and more to those in need at the Cherry Red Records stadium.
A spokesperson for AFC Wimbledon said: “We are very proud to be the first designated Safe Haven in Merton. Hopefully lots of buildings and institutions will follow.
“We see it as a civic duty to provide a practical way to offer support to our community.”
AFC Wimbledon is one of only three English football clubs to sign up after Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium and West Ham’s London Stadium, both Premier League sides.
Merton Council unveiled AFC Wimbledon’s designation as a Safe Haven in an Instagram reel on September 12.
Eren Bessim of the Safer Business Network revealed that ten other businesses have since decided to sign up for the scheme, following the football club’s lead.
He said: “It’s estate agents, it’s shops – it’s great news. The way AFC Wimbledon have taken that lead has helped, through those other organisations and businesses saying ‘Do you know what? We want to be part of this as well.’”
When discussing future Safe Havens, “very large organisations” in Central London were hinted at by Bessim and, although nothing was confirmed, it was clear that the Safer Business Network have other famous businesses in their sights, both in Merton and beyond.
The All-England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) in Merton, too, was cited by Bessim as a hopeful prospect to follow the lead of AFC Wimbledon in becoming a Safe Haven.
A spokesperson for AELTC said: “The All-England Club is always interested in and keen to support the local community.”
Bessim also alluded to future plans to expand the Safer Business Network’s enterprises, with growth beyond Greater London already being explored in places like Tunbridge Wells.
In the capital, 260 businesses have volunteered to become Safe Havens, with Eren Bessim estimating that the last three months have been the best period of growth for the network yet.
The importance of football clubs operating as Safe Havens was especially stressed.
London Stadium’s own Safe Haven, situated in the busy Stratford area, was held up by Bessim as an exemplar of the scheme, with its 24-hour security helping vulnerable people at risk of robbery or violence.
On being only the third football club in London to participate in the scheme, a spokesperson for AFC Wimbledon said: “We would like to think it would be just as easy for any club to be part of the scheme…as a fan-owned club which is rooted at the heart of our community, it was an easy decision to seek this designation.”
Featured image credit: AFC Wimbledon/Kontenthaus
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