Staff, students and members of the public come together as part of annual global demonstration
Students, staff and members of the public have come together at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) to make a stand against violence and oppression to women.
For the seventh year in a row, UCLan hosted a One Billion Rising for Justice (VDay) event on Thursday 14 February as part of a world-wide awareness campaign.
Every year in hundreds of countries, people are encouraged to gather in places of safety, such as schools and places of worship, and stand in solidarity against the alarming statistic that one in three women will be beaten or raped in their lifetime. With the world population at seven billion, this adds up to more than one billion women and girls.
The Preston event was organised by the UCLan Creative Communities Group (CCG). People were invited to dance together on campus led by instructor and World Salsa Dance champion Phil Kaila and Salsa Northwest.
"On 14 February each year, in the centre of Preston we stand together in solidarity to raise awareness of the one billion and rising violent attacks against women and children."
Russell Hogarth, UCLan Honorary Fellow, Community Ambassador and chair of the CCG network, said: “V-Day is a global activist movement to end violence against women and girls started by author, playwright and activist Eve Ensler. On 14 February each year, in the centre of Preston we stand together in solidarity to raise awareness of the one billion and rising violent attacks against women and children.
“Each year I'm both honoured and humbled to be part of this occasion. The event would not have been possible without the support of UCLan staff and students and Nigel Farnworth, the manager of the UCLan Creative Communities Group. The CCG network organised the first One Billion Rising dance event seven years ago in the City of Preston and I'm delighted to say that it's grown from strength to strength each year.”
Deputy Mayor of Preston Councillor David Borrow took part in the event. He said: "I was pleased to represent the City Council at the One Billion Rising event at UCLan. This is a very important event shared with groups not just here in England, but across the world. Getting people to dance to highlight the problem of the abuse of children and women shows real imagination. Thank you for the opportunity to participate even though I can't really dance."
The event was filmed and will be shared on the One Billion Rising website along with others from across the world.
Discover more about the One Billion Rising movement by visiting the website or follow @VDAY on Twitter.