The scenes from the Sarah Everard vigil were shocking | Cheryl Gibbs

The events of last weekend and the repercussions of those events will be something felt for quite some time.

I can’t even begin to imagine how the family of Sarah Everard must feel. The 33-year-old marketing executive was walking home when she was abducted from a busy London street at night – and was, tragically, found dead. A 48-year-old police officer has since been charged with her kidnap and murder.

Sarah’s death sparked a surge of anger and debate from women about the threats and intimidation they face as they go about their daily lives. A vigil for Sarah was held last Saturday and thousands of women turned up to pay their respects to the vigil/protest which was held at Clapham Common – one of the last places Sarah was seen alive.

Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a peaceful protest and vigil to pay their respects turned when Met Police Officers started using abrupt and brute force to remove and disperse the crowds.

Apparently the crowds were too large, forcing people to stand closer than they should under the current coronavirus laws and therefore officers had to intervene. However, I don’t feel this is the issue that has sparked such debate across the country. The awful footage that has emerged from officers includes pushing women out of the way with some falling to the floor.

What should have been a respectful and peaceful demonstration in honour of Sarah’s name turned into a much wider and controversial discussion, not just about women’s safety in general, but about police brutality.

What I’m very concerned about the sheer number of women who have come out and said they fear for their lives on a regular basis; that walking down the street alone is intimidating; that they are scared more often than they feel safe.

What kind of society are we in when a woman, who took every safety precaution possible when walking home, was attacked and killed by someone whose very position was to protect and serve her? A discussion that will continue for some time I fear…

Let’s start the conversation around women’s safety

In normal times when we were actually allowed out of the house to socialise and do things, I used to take precautionary steps to ensure my safety.

If I happened to be somewhere alone, no matter where I was I would take main streets, well lit by street lighting and would speak to someone on the phone at all times – all things that Sarah Everard did to protect herself and it still wasn't enough.

A much wider debate about public safety and for women has got everyone talking and it's very needed.

It's a sad world that we live in that we have to have these serious conversations, but conversations we must have. I don't think this is just a female conversation – it's a societal one that affects us all.

The government’s vaccine roll-out has been impressive

More than half the adult population has been vaccinated against Covid-19.

What an achievement and one of the few things that the government could be praised for in their response to the outbreak.

I'm not trying to be political here – my opinions on whether Boris Johnson and his government have done well leading us through is a conversation for another time.

But few people would disagree that their vaccine rollout has been pretty good and things are looking up – or at least until news broke that there are steps in place to prevent further variants entering the UK. I fear messier times are still ahead for us all...