An event in Preston is set to help make a stand on violence against women as part of a worldwide campaign on the issue.

The University of Central Lancashire is holding the One Billion Rising for Justice (VDay) event on Friday 14 February.

The One Billion Rising campaign says one in three women will be beaten or raped in their lifetime. In Preston alone, over 4,000 women and girls aged between 16 and 59 have suffered from domestic violence in the past year according to government calculations shared by Preston Domestic Violence Services.

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The local community is invited to the UCLan event, which is part of a campaign that will see millions of people around the world joining together to demand an end to acts of violence against women and young girls. The campaign also looks to address other issues such as worker exploitation, poverty, racism, refugee rights and transphobia.

On the day, UCLan representatives will join with members of the public inside the Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre for a group dance led by instructor and World Salsa Dance champion Phil Kaila and Salsa Northwest. Also attending and taking part will be local politicians, as well as staff from local emergency services and representatives from the Prince’s Trust.

Nigel Farnworth, UCLan Creative Communities Group (CCG) manager who is helping to organise the gathering, said: “We are delighted to be supporting what is becoming an increasingly important campaign each year on a global scale.

“We want to invite all members of the local community to come along on the day to dance, sign and stand together in demanding an end to violence against women and girls.”

The event will take place On Friday 14 February from 12.30pm to 1.30pm. People are free to turn up on the day at the Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre on UCLan’s Preston Campus, which sits behind Foster Building.

The event will be filmed and then shared on the One Billion Rising website along with others from across the world.

For more information email Nigel Farnworth on NFarnworth4@uclan.ac.uk or call 01772 894707.

Read more: Preston men encouraged to support end to violence against women this White Ribbon Day

Will you be going to UCLan’s event, or any other One Billion Rising events? Let us know in the comments.