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'Park harassment left me feeling scared'

BBC Nicky looking into the camera, she's wearing a blue puffer coat. Behind her is Shrewsbury Quarry, a park with open green space, trees, and a path stretching off into the distance. To her right is the River Severn. It's a sunny, wintery day and you can tell the light is beginning to fade. BBC
Nicky Clark urged other women experiencing harassment to take it more seriously

A woman who was followed by a man while out for a walk has praised the police response.

Nicky Clark, 58, said she was enjoying a stroll in Shrewsbury's Quarry park on a foggy afternoon when she glanced down to notice a bike tyre level with her.

She said the man was just inches away and would not leave her alone until she turned to another stranger and pretended they were a close friend.

Ms Clark said she felt she had risked "embarrassment" by phoning the police, but that the call handler immediately made her feel understood.

The encounter started when the cyclist approached her unexpectedly.

"I stopped and I looked up, and inches from me was this guy. He was really close to my face and there was something in his eyes that was scary," she said.

To escape, she rushed over to another walker.

"I dropped my voice and said 'you don't know me, but there was a guy there and he was really quite scary'," she said.

"It was quite a sweet moment because he immediately took me really seriously."

Nicky Clark Shrewsbury's Quarry park, covered in mist and fog. You can see a footpath and some trees, but the landscape beyond the foreground is swallowed up by the gloomy weather. Nicky Clark
Mrs Clark took this photograph of the foggy Quarry the day after the incident

Ms Clark said while she was not hurt, or assaulted, the incident was still deeply upsetting.

"I was walking and crying because I was so angry, you know? I don't know what that guy's intentions were but he'd frightened me, he'd intimidated me," she said.

"He took away my peace of mind."

She added that the West Mercia Police call handler immediately took her seriously.

"She was so compassionate, she was so kind and understanding - I didn't have to explain myself, I didn't have to justify myself, or rationalise any of the reasons I had for calling.

"I wasn't made to feel stupid."

She has documented her experience on social media, highlighting that harassment can affect women of any age and is urging others to take incidents more seriously

In particular, she hopes more people can be like the second stranger she met that day - who offered her support and a way out.

"Be the guy who was there, who was supportive and who was kind and helpful," Mrs Clark said.

"That's the thing we need to see more of - men calling out [other] men's behaviour, and men being able to recognise where women are fearful."

Sgt Gary Lansdale, from West Mercia Police, told the BBC his officers "understand the distress and concern feeling unsafe can cause and want to offer our reassurance".

He added that while "thankfully on this occasion no one was injured, all incidents of harassment are taken seriously, and we want to know about them".

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