The offices are based at:

66 Nottingham Road
Loughborough,
Leicestershire,
LE11 1EU

Click here for map

We are open...

Monday	9.30 am - 1pm	2pm - 5pm
Tuesday	9.30 am - 1pm	Closed
Wednesday	9.30 am - 1pm	2pm - 5pm
Thusrday	9.30 am - 1pm	2pm - 5pm
Friday	9.30 am - 1pm	2pm - 5pm

Please note the last client will be seen at 12.45 and 4.45pm to ensure the office closes on time.

Tel: (01509) 261651
Fax: (01509) 267826
Website: www.humanrightsandequalitiescharnwood.org
Email: info@humanrightsandequalitiescharnwood.org

Who are we

We are Human Rights & Equalities Charnwood (HR&EC). Until 9 September 2008 we were Charnwood Racial Equality Council. Our new name is designed to reflect the widening brief we now have to work on all equalities (Race, Age, Gender, Sexual Orientation, Disability and Religion & Belief) in partnership with others.We were first established as the Charnwood Community Relations Council in the Borough of Charnwood in May 1969 (then known as “The Garden”) and became the Charnwood Racial Equality Council in November 1996.

The HR&EC will:

Work towards eliminating discrimination
Campaign for equality of opportunity
Promote good relations between all persons in the Borough of Charnwood, in the County of Leicestershire

As well as working locally we are part of a network of Racial Equality Councils and other similar bodies, which are linked regionally and nationally to the
Equality & Human Rights Commission .

HR&EC is financially supported by Leicestershire County Council and Charnwood Borough Council and invites grants from other organisations for specific projects. The membership of HR&EC is made up of a wide cross-section of local organisations and individuals who elect the Trustees. The Trustees direct and guide the policy of the HR&EC and annual work plan.

How we can help you

We can help you if:

you want advice and information about discrimination, equal opportunities or the work of HR&EC
you require assistance and advice in completing any forms on welfare benefits, immigration, nationality and passports. You can get help by either coming to our offices or requesting a home visit if you are unable to come in.
you are suffering from learning disability or are a carer for someone with learning disability. We have a Link Worker who will be able to offer you advice and support.

We can also signpost or refer you to appropriate agencies if we are unable to help you directly.

Other Areas of Work

Public Authorities

We work with and in partnership with authorities to improve their polices and practices in order to:

Have fairer, equitable and appropriate services
Improve their recruitment/appraisal/promotion of their staff (workforce development)
Improve contracting out and outside tendering processes

We lobby and campaign to change policies and practices, which discriminate or deny equal opportunities.

Health, Housing and Social Services

We share good practice on equality issues with the agencies to identify the needs of minority communities and suggest action plans to improve services.

Education

We support the work of the multi agency panel on Youth issues locally. We work with Higher and Further Education institutions.

Hate Crime Attacks, Harassment and Police

We work in partnership with other agencies, towards eliminating incidents of hate crime and harassment.

HR&EC is also a Reporting Centre and you can download the form which can be found in our “Links” section on the website or contact us for further information or to report hate crime.

What is a hate incident?
…any incident where you or someone else has been targeted because they or you are believed to be different, or any incident you believe was motivated by: age, disability, gender identity, race, religion / belief or sexual orientation

An incident / offence may be physical, verbal or written and can take many forms including:

Physical attack – such as physical assault, damage to property, offensive graffiti
Threat of attack – including offensive letters, abusive or obscene calls
Verbal abuse or insults
Offensive leaflets and posters, hate mail, abusive gestures, dumping of rubbish outside homes
Harassment*, bullying and victimisation

*Harassment is ‘unwanted behaviour that a person finds intimidating upsetting, embarrassing, humiliating or offensive’

Why is it important to report hate incidents?

Reporting makes a difference …to you, your family and your life…help us to help you!

Only by recording incidents can we build up a comprehensive picture of hate incidents across Leicestershire
We need to know the number, type and range of hate incidents
This will show us where the problem areas are and help us to improve services to deal with hate incidents

Who can report an incident?
Anybody can complete the Hate Incident Monitoring Form. If you have experienced or are aware of anyone who has experienced a hate incident then we want to know about it. An incident report can be completed anonymously you do not have to identify yourself, but if you want us to contact you it is essential that you leave a contact number or address. If you represent a particular agency then this should be stated in section five of the form. You can report an incident even if you do not have all of the information requested on the form, as any information that you can provide may be valuable.

Multi Faith involvement

We work very closely with the Loughborough Council of Faiths and local faith groups and individuals to organise events to promote understanding between the different faith communities (Feast of Faiths, One World Week, Pilgrimage of Prayer etc) and interfaith dialogues.

Charnwood Mela

We have been the lead body in organising the Charnwood Mela for the last four years. This is a partnership event and we work very closely with Charnwood Borough Council, who is the main funder for the event and local voluntary, statutory organisations and individuals. Please see our photo album link for pictures of previous Melas.

Youth Conferences/Training Programmes

HR&EC has been directly involved in organising youth conferences, training programmes and exchanges, and engaging youths to participate in similar events all over Europe and the UK. Most conferences involve at least 14 to 15 countries with participants of around 28 to 30 youths and team leaders. We involve local youths from Charnwood, local agencies and partners in these conferences including staff and volunteers from Charnwood Borough Council, Charnwood Arts, Voluntary Action Charnwood, Loughborough Council of Faiths, community centres and religious centres. We have build extensive contacts with students from local schools, the colleges and the University and other individuals. For further information on these conferences please click here.

Charnwood Refugees and Asylum Seekers Forum

HR&EC are a key partner on the Charnwood Refugees and Asylum Seekers Forum, which is a multi agency forum that meets quarterly to look at and share information on issues concerning refugees and asylum seekers.

For a copy of Hidden Voices Click Here.