Fearless Keychains: A Small Business With A Big Mission

Please view full article with video on the website: https://rebellemag.jusnet.co.uk/2021/05/24/fearless-keychains-a-small-business-with-a-very-big-mission/

As a female, most will firmly say that walking alone on the streets is scary, but walking alone in the dark, petrifying. Fearless Keychains could be the answer for vulnerable women all around the country, for those who live in fear of being attacked physically or sexually.

The product is the UK’s legal alternative to safety devices from other countries which are illegal over here such as pepper sprays or tasers. Located in Bedfordshire, Rebecca, who goes by Rea, has faced many obstacles while creating her product so she can comply with British Laws safely but still provide a product which will protect women. She is currently working to promote petitions that would change these laws so we can legally carry self-defence items, allowing her to supply non-lethal items.

Maybe the most impressive part of Fearless Keychains is Rea’s genuine passion to spread awareness of assault on women and campaign for change. £1 of every keychain is donated to Rape Crisis UK, and 10% of monthly profits made by the company is donated into Fearless Fund, founded by Rea, which goes towards the purchase of safety alarms to donate to vulnerable people who cannot afford safety equipment. Rebelle has gained a short, but exclusive interview with Rea between her VERY busy schedule to speak about Fearless Keychains.

So tell us about the lightbulb moment to start Fearless Keychains?

So, I had seen all of the ones in America but self defence weapons are not allowed in the UK, over there they are allowed pepper spray, tasers and other weapons! Then the kidnap and murder of Sarah Everard shook me to my core, I could see the streets were such a dangerous place, and they have been for a long time, so I looked into a way I could make these keychains within our legal limit- it took me absolute months of research and then I stumbled across something called farb gel- I researched this product more and that’s when I found the spray I include on my keychains, which has the same effect but this one has a foul odour to act as a distraction for the attacker so you can run away. Once I found that, I just knew I had to make them!

Yes the death of Sarah really did scare every female we know, it’s terrifying to think how vulnerable we are walking alone – especially at night. What’s the reaction been like and have you been getting many orders?

It really broke my heart, for Sarah and all the other lives affected by such horrific crimes, I know I don’t feel comfortable walking in the dark alone! Everyone has been so amazing and supportive! I honestly didn’t think I would sell that many, I had enough money to buy the bits to make about 20 keychains; they sold out in 6 minutes – I could see the need for the item so I took a huge plunge and spent around 10k on stock, setting an office space up, buying the machinery I needed to make the wristlets, I was able to make 230 more which then sold out in 48 hours! So within 3 weeks I’ve managed to get 250 keychains out to the people of the UK! And I’ve taken all that money and put it straight back into the business so I can buy even more to get them out to even more people.

Wow, congratulations! So there’s a huge demand then, what do you think this says about the treatment of women in this country?

In my personal opinion, I feel really strongly about how women are viewed especially by men in general: cat calling, beeping cars, all of it is so disrespectful towards women. People are going to look at you no matter what you do and obviously you cannot stop that but taking it a step further by making an action i.e. wolf whistling, it’s just harassing, especially when that person has no idea if that kind of attention is wanted from a woman. It makes me feel so uncomfortable, and I feel like a lot of other women get uncomfortable too! We are not pieces of meat or something to be whistled at like a dog. Overall I think it speaks volumes that 99% of my customers are female, because we simply do not feel safe and these kinds of actions from men do make us wonder if they would take it another step further and then another one! So, in all honesty, I think this really shows women are treated poorly in general!

We completely agree and think the government needs to introduce more measures to help protect us. Complying with British laws means you cannot include pepper spray or tasers in the key chain, can you tell me a bit more about how you are trying to spread awareness to change this?

The government definitely needs to act upon this, the streets are simply not safe! So yes as you’ve mentioned there, we cannot carry self defence weapons therefore I cannot include most of the items you may have seen on the American keychains. So, I’ve had to adapt the very amazing idea I saw on TikTok and modify it to be able to be carried here in the UK. There is currently a petition running for us to be able to carry non-lethal self defence weapons, such as pepper spray. I shared this petition and I also have it stated on my website! I urge anyone to sign this as there is a lot of stigma surrounding having pepper spray here, a lot of people think it would be counterproductive to allow attackers to be able to carry it as well to harm others, but we want the law to change to be able to use pepper spray in self defence only, you can still be prosecuted for improper use! There are attackers carrying knives on them!

You can buy your very own keychain from www.fearlesskeychains.com and find even more information about the products. Also, make sure to give Rea a follow on Instagram and TikTok, both @fearlesskeychains. She is always making new videos about the keychains and providing her followers with useful safety resources. If you want to help join the battle to legalise carrying non-lethal self defence weapons and feel a little safer on your walks home, sign here! https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/577568