Changing Lives' Red Umb...

Changing Lives' Red Umbrella Project Collaborates with Agencies as Freedom Bus Returns to Merseyside

September 2024

1 Min Read

Last weekend on the 7th September, the Freedom Bus made it's return to Merseyside.

The purpose of the Freedom Bus is to raise awareness of the warning signs of exploitation, trafficking and Modern Slavery.

Borrowed by the Police and Crime Commissioner, Emily Spurrell, from the Pan-Lancashire Anti-Slavery Partnership, the campaign aims to raise awareness in Merseyside by encouraging people to learn how to spot the warning signs of Modern Slavery and how to report any concerns they have.

Our Red Umbrella team worked in collaboration with the Partnership to spread the word about the mobile exhibition.

The challenges of Modern Slavery are not just one organisation's problem, it is a society problem

The bus is a mobile exhibition, branded with anti-slavery messages promoting the national Modern Slavery Helpline, to which people should report any concerns they have about individuals who they think could be enslaved or exploited.

The creator of the bus Sion Hall said of the partnership:

"The Pan Lancashire Anti Slavery Partnership is a collaboration of organisations with a shared goal of fighting modern slavery and human trafficking.

"A key part of our wider strategy is to raise awareness of this horrific crime with members of the public. We wanted to do something a bit different and eye-catching and that was when we came up with the idea of the Freedom Bus.

"The challenges of Modern Slavery are not just one organisation's problem, it is a society problem and so the importance of working together with all agencies, groups and members of the public cannot be overstated. Together we can all make a difference."