News
**Untold Stories - LGBT History Project Exhibition - 23-29 February**
Added by on 02-02-2012
February is LGBT History Month. In both the UK and around the world lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and trans people are celebrating our heritage.
In Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland we are adding to that sense of celebration. Untold Stories is the LGBT History Project in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland dedicated to collecting the personal memories of local LGBT people over a three year period. The Project will become a permanent exhibition to our community for future generations to learn how we used to live in years gone by.
On 23 -29 February Untold Stories will have a week long event at Leicester Central Library, Leicester LGBT Centre and other venues to commemorate the journey our community has taken to where we are today. Everyone is invited and encouraged to visit and participate in the events that are taking place.
Please see attached poster with all the information for each day.
**Untold Stories - LGBT History Project Exhibition - 23-29 February**
Further information will be sent out (a much fancier flyer to follow).
In the meantime if you have any questions, please contact:
Dennis Bradley
Centre Support Officer
Leicester Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Centre is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales number 3430968
Registered Charity number 1142067
Leicester Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Centre
15 Wellington Street
Leicester
LE1 6HH
Tel 0116 254 7412
Website: www.leicesterlgbtcentre.org
Email: dennis@leicesterlgbtcentre.org
Read Full Story
Aladdin, Multi Faith Pantomime
Added by on 12-01-2012
Loughborough Council of Faiths are proud to present "Aladdin", their 2nd multi faith pantomime.
To take place on Saturday 18th February 2012.
2.30pm Matinee and 7.30pm evening performances at:
Hodson Hall
Grammar School
Loughborough
LE11 2DU
Tickets £5
Children under 12 £3.50
For further information or for ticktets please contact Varsha Parmar on (01509) 261651 or email to enq@lborofaiths.org.uk
Read Full Story
New Bikes not Barriers guide published
Added by on 24-11-2011
Guide to Disability Cycling
Bikes Not Barriers
Read Full Story
Home care inquiry report launched today
Added by on 24-11-2011
Today the Equality and Human Rights Commission launched the findings from our inquiry into the home care system in England. The inquiry reveals disturbing evidence that the poor treatment of many older people receiving home care is breaching their human rights and too many are struggling to voice their concerns about their care or be listened to about what kind of support they want.
The final report of the Commission's inquiry, 'Close to home: older people and human rights in home care', says hundreds of thousands of older people lack protection under the Human Rights Act and calls for this legal loophole to be closed. The report questions a number of commissioning practices that give more weight to cost than to an acceptable quality of care.
Around half of the older people, friends and family members who gave evidence to the inquiry expressed real satisfaction with their home care. They most valued having a small number of familiar and reliable staff who took the time to talk to them and complied with their requests to do specific tasks. Home care workers said their job satisfaction came from improving the quality of older people’s lives.
But the inquiry also revealed many examples of older people’s human rights being breached, including physical or financial abuse, disregarding their privacy and dignity, failing to support them with eating or drinking, treating them as if they were invisible, and paying little attention to what they want.
For example, evidence given to the Commission included a woman being left stuck on the toilet in her bathroom, as the care worker said she was too busy completing the list of care tasks to help her; and people with dementia not being prompted to eat or having their food ‘hidden’ in the fridge, so they go hungry; and a woman who asked for help with her washing up and to be assisted to walk out into her garden but was given help washing herself instead.
Some older people were surprised that they had any choice at all as they thought they had little say in how their care was arranged.
In response to the findings of our inquiry, the Commission is making a number of recommendations. The report recommends that legislation and regulation needs to be updated to reflect huge shifts in how care is provided. The recommendations fall under three broad categories: proper protection; effective monitoring; and clear guidance. The Commission has started working with partners across the care sector and in parliament to push forward these recommendations and will continue this process over the coming weeks and months.
You can find more information on the inquiry and recommendations on our website.
Home care inquiry report
Read Full Story
Public consultation on the NHS Walk in Centre in Loughborough
Added by on 16-11-2011
Loughborough Walk-In Centre
Managing urgent care in Loughborough
A public consultation
19 October 2011 – 11 January 2012
NHS Loughborough Walk In Centre consultation Poster
NHS Loughborough Walk In Centre consultation paper
We urge everyone to look at this and get involved.
Read Full Story
Loughborough Council of Faiths new look website
Added by on 04-11-2011
Loughborough Council of Faiths are proud to launch their new website: www.lborofaiths.org.uk
Read Full Story
Commission launches consultation on their strategic plan for 2012-15
Added by on 12-10-2011
Today the EHRC launch a 60 day consultation to help them develop their next three-year strategic plan, which will be laid before UK Parliament in April 2012. It gives you the opportunity to comment on the Commission’s proposed mission and roles and the key equality and human rights issues for 2012-15. They are asking you to respond no later than 12 December 2011.
Thanks to those of you who took the time to contribute to their consultation on their Strategic Plan 2009-12, which they held in the summer. They value your views and hope you will see them reflected in this next stage of consultation.
A final phase of consultation will take place for 30 days in early 2012. With a significant reduction in our budget, it’s more important than ever for the Commission to prioritise what they do, and to use their resources effectively and demonstrate real value for money.
They have published a questionnaire and supporting information online to help you take part in this consultation. To access and complete their Phase two consultation questionnaire, please visit their website. The consultation closes on 12 December 2011 so don't miss your opportunity to take part.
Read Full Story
New Equality and Human Rights Guidance for Care Quality Commission Inspectors
Added by on 11-10-2011
New Equality and Human Rights guidance for Care Quality Commission Inspectors
The Commission and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have jointly produced new guidance for use by care inspectors on equality and human rights. The advice is aimed at ensuring that the rights of those people who are most vulnerable to harm, are upheld and respected.
The guidance will help CQC inspectors
• clearly link effective equality and human rights compliance with high-quality, safe services.
• explain what they have to look for when monitoring a care provider against standards.
• know what to do if they suspect a human rights violation or find a breach in standards.
The new guidance comes as the EHRC enters the final phase of its Inquiry into the experiences of older people receiving care at home, and in particular the legal obligation of care providers, local authorities, the CQC and central government to protect the human rights of customers.
Interim findings from the Inquiry revealed that human rights were not being observed in the delivery of home care. The Commission believes this demonstrates the importance of the new guidance, which captures the equality and human rights dimensions of the essential standards that the CQC applies to its monitoring work.
The guidance has been subject to a 12-week consultation to ensure the views of users of health and adult social care services, CQC staff, carers and providers were all taken into consideration. In total 70 responses were received. The draft guidance has further been piloted across the country in eight CQC reviews.
The guidance is also driving forward the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman’s recommendation that health and social care organisations need to do more to meet their statutory and regulatory requirements. As part of this the Commission has a Memorandum of Understanding with the CQC relating to equality and human rights.
You can view the guidance and supporting documents on the EHRC's website. You will also find information about other human rights work on the website, including the Human Rights Review which will be launched in December and their recently launched training and education resources to help teach equality and human rights.
Director of Stakeholder Relations
Equality and Human Rights Commission
Read Full Story
Hidden in plain sight - the launch of the Disability Harassment Inquiry report
Added by on 19-09-2011
'Hidden in plain sight' - the final report of the Equality & Human Rights Commission's groundbreaking inquiry into disability-related harassment. The report uncovers not only that harassment is a commonplace experience for disabled people, but also that a culture of disbelief and systemic institutional failures are preventing it from being tackled effectively.
As well as reporting on the extent of harassment, the report also includes a review of ten cases to look at what, if any, lessons have been learnt in each case, and makes recommendations to public authorities to help them deal with the problems uncovered.
We urge you to read the report findings and draft recommendations for public authorities aimed at tackling disability-related harassment. Please visit our website at www.equalityhumanrights.com/dhfi where you can find the following:
• The final report and executive summary
• A collection of real life case studies covering some of the most serious and compelling cases of disability-related harassment
• Research reports considering the role of public bodies and disabled people's experiences and concerns about crime
• Sector specific briefing papers that contain draft recommendations for public authorities
• A series of videos to launch the report including a live webcast from this week's launch event featuring speeches from Keir Starmer, Director of Public Prosecutions, Chief Constable Stephen Otter, ACPO, Rachel Perkins, Chair, Equality 2025 and Frances Affleck, Living Our Lives In Safety Project Coordinator, CHANGE.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many organisations and individuals who have supported us throughout the past two years on this formal Inquiry and welcome your feedback on the report.
You can contact us by email at: communications@equalityhumanrights.com or share the report and your views on Twitter using the hashtag #disbelief.
Read Full Story
Loughborough Mela 2011 - the best yet!
Added by on 05-08-2011
LOUGHBOROUGH MELA 2011 THE BEST YET!
Months of dedication and planning paid off triumphantly last weekend when Loughborough Mela 2011 hit the streets of the town on Sunday July 31st.
The perfect summer day began with a Dhol procession, welcoming the Mayor of Charnwood, Councillor Bernard Burr to officially open the event.
Mela is a Sanskrit word meaning to get together and togetherness was very much the theme of this year’s celebrations. Throughout the day there were free dance and music performances, free henna painting provided by HR&EC, free arts workshops by Charnwood Arts and a host of local and national entertainers.
Headlining were two of the UK’s hottest new Asian music talents, Raxstar and Faze and the Market place was filled with the sounds of the fantastic and much sought after Ronak Mela Baaja Bollywood Brass Band.
Dancers including Saijal Mistry, Bhuv Sharma, Anjali, Monica Matharu and Lisha were seen showing off their best moves in Bollywood and Bhangra dancing to the delight of large crowds. Added to these were an amazing Rajasthani Folk Dance by Nrityakala, more Bollywood dancing by Nupur Arts and members of the Loughborough Jansari Community playing live Indian garba music.
In an inspirational blending of cultures, the Mela crowds were also treated to a trip to Ireland with the Keating School of Irish Dancing, a spectacular Lion Dance from the Leicester Itsuwa Society and a lively display from the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society. One of the highlights of the day was definitely the beautiful, crystal clear voice of opera singer Maria Veretenina spreading over the town centre in the glorious sunshine.
For the peckish amongst the crowd, there was a huge array of mouth watering food from the Asian sub continent and delicious Indian sweets were greatly enjoyed alongside locally made ice cream and candy floss. Over 30 trading stalls offered everything from jewellery and accessories to spices, music, information and crafts.
As promised by the partners - Charnwood Borough Council, Human Rights & Equalities Charnwood, Charnwood Arts, Voluntary Action Charnwood, Loughborough Town Centre Partnership and Charnwood Neighbourhood Housing - this partnership event was a carnival of colours on a hot Indian Summer’s day.
Kevin Ryan of Charnwood Arts said: "This year's Loughborough Mela was fantastic, a real success for Charnwood and a celebration of partnership working between arts and culture, the community sector and local authorities. A small community like Loughborough, which can bring so much energy and diversity into this and other events in the town, is a beacon for the future. The performers were brilliant, the food was great and crowds were smiling!"
The Mela organisers would like to send their sincere thanks to all their partners in the event for their funding and support and in particular to the market team for all their hard work and help on the day. Special thanks go to all the volunteers, artists, stall-holders and members of the public for coming to the event and helping to make it such a huge success under the enthusiastic and tireless leadership of Mela Co-Ordinator Leylah Bhamra.
Read Full Story
Girls Summer Group: Ages 11-16
Added by on 18-07-2011
Girls Summer Group: Ages 11-16
Starting 22nd July
11.30-2.30 Weekly
To meet at the
Mario Tinenti Centre
91 Russell Street, Loughborough, Leics
(01509) 214036
Games Fashion Challenge
Cooking
Town Challenge
Kick Boxing Exercises
Arts and Crafts Trip........
For further information please contact
Isobel Neale at isobel.neale@twentytwenty.org.uk
Read Full Story
See My Ability
Added by on 22-06-2011
As part of National Learning Disability Awareness Week, the Leicestershire Learning Disability Partnership Board has funded a short film called 'See My Ability' which tackles stereotypes head on. The film showcases local people in Leicestershire and what they can do, not their disability.
You can see the video at
For more information about Leicestershire Learning Disability Partnership Board please visit www.betterlives.org.uk
Read Full Story
London 2012 Torchbearer Nomination Process
Added by on 27-05-2011
Please find attached information relating to the London 2012 Torchbearer nomination process called ‘A chance to shine” under our publications section (news related)
•Official London 2012 Torchbearer Nomination press release
•Website Content from Inspire Leicestershire website
•Official LOCOG Torchbearer poster
•Official LOCOG email template – (please add the following text underneath the template “ Visit www.inspireleics.org.uk to keep you up to date with all that is happening in Leicester and Leicestershire to maximise the benefits of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.)
Read Full Story
HR&EC Annual Public Lecture 2011
Added by on 17-05-2011
"Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better"
The author of 'The Spirit Level’, Richard Wilkinson, Emeritus Professor of Social Epidemiology was guest speaker at HR&EC’s annual public Lecture which took place on Wednesday 25 May 2011 at 7.30pm at the Robert Martin Hall Theatre, Loughborough University, Ashby Road, Loughborough, Leics LE11 3TU
Richard Wilkinson has played a formative role in international research and his work has been published in 10 languages. He studied economic history at the London School of Economics before training in epidemiology and is Professor Emeritus at the University of Nottingham Medical School and Honorary Professor at University College London.
Quoting some reviews:
'what might be the most important book of the year' --John Grace, Guardian.
'This is a book with a big idea, big enough to change political thinking' - Sunday Times.
Peter Lewis, Company Secretary of HR&EC said, "The changes and tensions in our society today make this Annual Public Lecture of relevance to us all.
Fundamental questions and suggested answers are seriously being explored by both Government and Opposition, and there is nothing more fundamental than debating what we mean by 'equality' in a democratic society. Such issues are also central to fleshing out those words - 'Big Society'.
There was an excellent attendance of over 80 people and the talk was enjoyed by everyone.
We would like to thank the Vice Chancellor and Loughborough University for their kind support and invitation to the campus.
If you want a copy of a paper by Richard Wilkinson, "What difference does Inequality Make?" you can download it under our publications section or contact the office for a hard copy.
For further information please contact Varsha Parmar on (01509) 261651 or email to:
info@humanrightsandequalitiescharnwood.org or see our website on www.humanrightsandequalitiescharnwood.org
Read Full Story
Loughborough Mela 2011
Added by on 21-04-2011
This year's Mela is planned for Sunday 31st July and promises to be a great feast of colour, music, dance and entertainment.
For the third time, the event will take place in Loughborough Town Centre and will be publicised across the whole of Charnwood. The Loughborough Mela is a partnership event presented by the communities in Loughborough and Charnwood Borough Council, Human Rights & Equalities Charnwood, Voluntary Action Charnwood, Charnwood Neighbourhood Housing, Loughborough Town Centre Partnership and Charnwood Arts.
Whilst the core of the Mela remains a celebration of Asian culture and entertainment it will include a wide variety of music and dancing from across the world.
In addition, there will be fairground rides, a wide variety of food and specialist market stalls, children’s activities and the usual friendly relaxed and harmonious atmosphere.
Rebecca Abrahams from Charnwood Arts said ‘the Mela is a great occasion for all the family with such a wide variety of performances, activities for the kids and an opportunity for all of us to come together and celebrate our local communities. Charnwood has so much to offer and has a wealth of talent that we should all celebrate. So come and enjoy an afternoon out! The Town Centre location has made such a difference to the Mela it makes it so accessible for everyone to both enjoy and join in.’
“Mela” is a Sanskrit word meaning to get together and is mainly used in the UK for a multicultural festival incorporating different aspects of British Asian culture. However, Loughborough Mela 2011 is aimed at promoting, celebrating and bringing together ALL of the communities in Charnwood.”
Further information or if you wish to volunteer on the day, help in the organising, perform or have a stall please contact Varsha Parmar on 01509 261651 during office hours or email to info@humanrightsandequalitiescharnwood.org
Read Full Story
Picnic in the Park
Added by on 13-04-2011
Picnic in the Park is a great community event and a wonderful opportunity to get people involved!
GET READY FOR LOUGHBOROUGH’S VERY OWN PICNIC IN THE PARK!
The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the trees are starting to blossom, it can only mean one thing…. Picnic in the Park is just around the corner!
And what better way to celebrate Charnwood Arts’s recent national funding success than with having fun in the sun!
Queens Park on Granby Street, Loughborough is once again the lovely setting for Charnwood’s annual celebration of connecting our communities and bringing together cultures in this eclectic mix of stalls, street performances, dance groups and an array of foodstalls.
This year we will be going right back to a real old fashioned Garden Fete with local performers, community groups, old fashioned games and fun for all the family!
Picnic In The Park will be held on Monday 30th May (Bank Holiday Monday) on Queens Park, Granby Street, Loughborough.
So, pop this date in your diary, watch out for more announcements of competitions, and ways you can join in the fun!
If you are a local organisation or community group, why not apply for a stall to show off your work – it’s completely free of charge.
Local performers are also welcome to apply to be part of the entertainment. We need dancers, singers, performers, jugglers, steel bands, acoustic groups and storytellers.
So, one way or another, make a date to be part of Picnic In The Park 2011!
All enquiries can be made to Rebecca Abrahams on 01509-821035 or email me on rebecca.abrahams@charnwoodarts.com
--
Rebecca Abrahams
Kala Kahani Project Manager
Charnwood Arts
31 Granby Street
Loughborough
LE11 3DU
01509 821035
www.kalakahani.co.uk
www.charnwoodarts.com
Read Full Story
Annual Public Lecture 2011
Added by on 11-03-2011
HR&EC's Annual Public Lecture
Guest Speaker - Richard Wilkinson
Emeritus Professor of Social Epidemiology
Author of 'The Spirit Level’
Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better
Biography
Richard Wilkinson has played a formative role in international research and his work has been published in 10 languages. He studied economic history at the London School of Economics before training in epidemiology and is Professor Emeritus at the University of Nottingham Medical School and Honorary Professor at University College London.
Reviews
'what might be the most important book of the year' --John Grace, Guardian
'This is a book with a big idea, big enough to change political thinking'
The Lecture will take place on Wednesday 25 May 2011 at 7.30pm
at the Robert Martin Hall Theatre,
Loughborough University
Ashby Road, Loughborough, Leics LE11 3TU
Poster under our Publications section (news related)
We would like to thank the Vice Chancellor and Loughborough University for their kind support and invitation to the campus
This is a free and open event and everyone is welcome.
Please arrive by 7.15pm as the Lecture will start at 7.30pm promptly.
For further information please contact Varsha Parmar on (01509) 261651 or email to:
info@humanrightsandequalitiescharnwood.org or see our website on www.humanrightsandequalitiescharnwood.org
Read Full Story
International Women Event - Active Living
Added by on 25-02-2011
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY EVENT
“ACTIVE LIVING”
Each year around the world, International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8. Hundreds of events occur not just on this day but throughout March to mark the economic, political and social achievements of women.
Organisations, governments and women's groups around the world choose different themes each year that reflect global and local gender issues.
Over 80 women attended this FREE event. This would held in the amazing Radmoor Centre, which has excellent facilities including restaurants and a licensed bar, hair and beauty studios and sports facilities from a Fitness Suite and studios, a sports hall and outdoor pitches. It is a very community friendly venue. Loughborough College and the Radmoor Centre provided free use of the venue for this event and also hair and beauty treatments at cost price.
Charnwood Borough Council provided free health checks and activities around active living. They held a smoothie and healthy sandwich competition. Both Charnwood Borough Council and the Radmoor Centre provided prizes for the competition winners.
HR & EC’s Project Officer for the South Asian Women’s Project, Nadja Rein said, “This was our third event taking place in Loughborough and it has proved to be very successful and popular with women of all backgrounds, ages and cultures. We have used feedback and comments from previous years to put this together and hope that it had something for all women.”
Jan Leivers, Assistant Principal at Loughborough College says, “It was with great pleasure that we hosted this successful Community event in our Radmoor Centre. We welcomed the opportunity to invite members of our community into College and the Radmoor Centre and use the facilities that we have here”.
HR&EC is very keen to continue the work with women and are constantly looking at ways to empower women to take a more active role in society, their families and in bettering themselves. If you are interested please contact Nadja Rein or Minara Rahman on 01509 261651.
Read Full Story
Chance for disabled people and their carers in the Borough of Charnwood to have a week’s holiday at subsidized cost.
Added by on 08-02-2011
The St. George’s Trust Timeshare Apartment in Watton, Breckland, West Norfolk.
History:- Set up by disbursement of funds from the St. George’s Trust Charity, which was connected with Churches Together in Loughborough, now Loughborough Churches Partnership, for disabled people and their carers in the Borough of Charnwood to have a week’s holiday at subsidized cost.
Place:- Richmond Park Golf Club Apartments, Saham Road, Watton, Thetford, IP25 6EA
Apartment:- Equipped to comply with Disability Discrimination Acts, 2 bedrooms, ramped access (ongoing negotiation to smooth the approach), car access is at the front door, full self-catering facilities.
Time:- “Week 21” – the Spring Bank Holiday week at the end of May, Saturday to Saturday
Facilities:- Golf Club restaurant on site, wheelchair walk possible to Watton village (500 metres), low-floor bus access from Watton to Norwich, Dereham, Swaffham, local shops and sights, coast 1 hour away by car
Costs:- Utility charge for the week (last year: pay for what was used). Travel there (possible by bus via Peterborough)
For further information please contact:
Karen in Voluntary Action Charnwood, John Storer House, Wards End, Loughborough Tel (01509) 631750 (address applications to her)
Read Full Story
Inspirational Muslim Women, Past, Present and Future
Added by on 25-01-2011
P R E S S R E L E A S E
Over 70 people attended the Inspirational Muslim Women, Past Present and Future event organised by Human Right & Equalities Charnwood held on Monday 24th January at Rosebery St Peter’s Community Centre.
The event heard from 3 keynote Muslim women on achievements, successes of Muslim women from the past and present. There was also an impressive display on Muslim Women and their achievements provided by the Muslim Women’s Network UK titled “Big Sister”.
Speakers were Sughra Ahmed, a Research Fellow in the Policy Research Centre of the Islamic Foundation, Shaista Gohir MBE, Executive Director of Muslim Women’s Network UK and founder and Director of Muslim Voice UK and Dr Samaya Farooq, who completed her PhD at the University of Warwick.
Society’s view of Muslim women is often limited to the same news headlines. In reality Muslim women are not so easily pigeonholed into this image. They are individuals and the achievements hightlighted their input and excellence in politics, sports, etc.
The event started with the current female Mayor of Charnwood, Cllr Jill Vincent who talked about the work of HR&EC on all the equality strands across the Borough of Charnwood. There was a presentation from the Hate Incident Action Project raising awareness of hate crime and incidents and the impact it has on victims and families.
Nicky Morgan, MP also attended and briefly talked about the importance of women’s role in families, society and the difference they can make by getting involved in whatever capacity they can from school governors, to councillors. She pointed out that in this current year we have local women in many key positions - The Mayor, Rector of the Parish Church, Vice Chancellor of the University, President of Students Union and herself as first female Loughborough MP.
Val Watts, Joint Vice Chair of HR&EC thanked Rumena Choudhury, Project Officer for organising the event, which was funded by Charnwood Borough Council. Val said “this event has helped us to be more aware of the immense contribution made in the past and in the present by Muslim women, both across the world and in this country. We need to make sure that the support networks are put in place so that local Muslim women are encouraged to make a valuable contribution to our communities and achieve their potential. Hopefully this conference will be the start"
HR&EC are keen to support local Muslim women to set up a forum which will help them get more involved in local issues and be a voice to be heard. If you are interested or wish to become members of HR&EC please contact Rumena Choudhury or Varsha Parmar on 01509 261651 or email to info@humanrightsandequalitiescharnwood.org. Alternatively please visit our website on www.humanrightsandequalitiescharnwoor.org to see with work we do and how to become members.
Read Full Story
Nicky Morgan MP's visit to HR&EC
Added by on 11-01-2011
The staff and Trustees were pleased to welcome our MP Nicky Morgan to the Human Rights & Equalities Charnwood office together with Cllr Paul Harley and Cllr Peter Lewis on Friday 10th December.
The visit came about from an invitation from HR&EC to Nicky Morgan to visit the offices to see the human face of the work done.
Staff talked to Nicky about the various projects run by the organisation and the value and benefits to the various communities in Charnwood.
They also gave her a picture of how their work helps the individuals who come into the office and those visited by our Outreach Officer.
The organisation is keen to work with partner agencies, groups and individuals across the Borough on all the equality strands: age, disability, gender, race, religion and belief, sexual orientation and gender reassignment.
Daphne Beale, Chair of HR&EC, said ‘This was a good opportunity to show Nicky Morgan more about our work, how it impacts on the community and how much benefit we can give to our service users. We want to engage with groups and individuals in the whole of the Borough of Charnwood and the more people understand what we can do, the better we can serve the community.’
For more information about our work on Hate Crime, Welfare Rights & Immigration, activities with women particularly from the South Asian background, campaigning, etc. contact us on 01509 261651
Read Full Story
Sharing our Heritage
Added by on 17-11-2010
HR&EC and Charnwood Arts Kala Kahani Project have teamed up to capture the history of local communities that have settled in the Borough of Charnwood.
HR&EC published "Our Home is Loughborough" several years ago which is about Bangladeshi families coming to settle in the UK, but there is a lot of history out there about all the other communities, especially the Asians coming from Kenya and Uganda that has never been captured.
Were you one of early families that came to settle in Loughborough from other countries, particularly, Kenya, Uganda, India, Pakistan
or Bangladesh?
Or were one of these families your neighbours or friends?
Our memories form who we are and without them we do not know who we are or where we have come from.
If you have any stories, photographs, newspaper clippings, ornaments, objects and treasured items that you brought with you in the 1970's and 80's when you came from East Africa or other corners of the world please contact us. Together we are going to create both a book and an exhibition to be shared with our local community.
For more information or if you would like to take part in this project or volunteer to help us please contact Varsha Parmar on (01509) 261651 or Rebecca on 01509 821035 email rebecca.abrahams@charnwoodarts.com
Read Full Story
How Fair is Britain?
Added by on 12-10-2010
Today the EHRC launches a landmark report that paints a picture of a largely tolerant and open-minded society, in which some equality gaps have closed over the past generation.
But How fair Is Britain?, the most comprehensive compilation of evidence on discrimination and disadvantage ever compiled in Britain, also shows that other long-standing inequalities remain undiminished; and that new social and economic fault-lines are emerging as Britain becomes older and more ethnically and religiously diverse. The report also identifies recession, public service reform, management of migration and technological change as major risk factors in progress towards a fairer society.
The first in a series of three yearly reports laid before Parliament, How fair is Britain? draws on a range of major datasets and surveys, as well as the Commission's own research reports, to build a portrait of Britain in 2010.
The Commission has worked very closely with stakeholders across the private, public, academic and voluntary sectors in producing the report, including drawing on over 110 pieces of stakeholder evidence submissions and hosting 10 roundtable discussions which helped to guide the structure and content of the report.
The report provides the independent evidence and benchmarks for reviewing the state of equality and fairness in Britain. On our website you can now access the report in full, in accessible formats and the executive summary.
We believe that How fair is Britain? is a benchmark evidence base which will ensure action and scarce resources are properly targeted to tackle inequality and is used in order to protect the vulnerable and disadvantaged from the worst effects of recession, deficit reduction and public service reform.
If you have any questions or would like to get in contact about the report please email the Commission at: stakeholders@equalityhumanrights.com.
Read Full Story
Loughborough Mela 2011
Added by on 12-10-2010
The Loughborough Mela Committee decided in October 2010 to undertake research about the Loughborough Mela.
In an era of spending cuts and budget reviews cultural events will struggle to retain strong funding support, so it is really important to get feedback from grass root communities to give evidence that the Loughborough Mela is strongly supported and that the venue and infrastructure is absolutely accurate for everybody’s needs.
Please find the research report carried out by Simone MacLaine-Freeman of FreeLaine Art under our publications (news related) section.
The Mela committee are planning to meet on Tuesday 18th January 2011 at 5pm at John Storer House, Wards End, Loughborough (Forest Room) to discuss plans for Mela 2011.
If you want the Mela to continue and are interested in getting involved please come along to the meeting.
For further details please contact Varsha Parmar:
Loughborough Mela Committee
c/o 66 Nottingham Road
Loughborough
Leics
LE11 1EU
Tel (01509) 261651
or email to info@humanrightsandequalitiescharnwood.org
Read Full Story
Understanding the Equality Act 2010
Added by on 06-10-2010
The Equality Act starts to come into force from 1 October. To help you understand the new law, the Equality & Human Rights Commission have published guidance and good practice on what the Act means for employers, workers, service providers, service users and education providers.
For more information please log onto their website on http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/
Read Full Story
Loughborough Mela 2010
Added by on 01-07-2010
Town Centre hosted Loughborough Mela 2010
“Communities Together”
This year's Mela took place on Sunday 27th June for the second time in Loughborough Town Centre.
Loughborough Mela 2010 was an exciting partnership event between Human Rights & Equalities Charnwood, Charnwood Arts, Voluntary Action Charnwood, with involvement from local community groups, including the Bangladesh Social Association, Fearon Hall, Shree Ram Krishna Centre and other agencies and individuals. The event was financially supported by Charnwood Borough Council and the Loughborough Town Centre Partnership, who also gave a generous contribution to support local artists and performers,
The event showcased different cultures and gave the audience a flavour of the rich and diverse communities in Charnwood. In addition, there were fairground rides, food and specialist market stalls and the usual friendly relaxed and harmonious atmosphere.
Whilst the core of the Mela remains a celebration of Asian culture, entertainment included a wide variety of music and dancing from across the world, the main underlying theme of the Mela, that of encouraging people from different nationalities & cultures to work together in bringing communities together, was clearly achieved.
Varsha Parmar, on of the Mela organiser’s said "It was wonderful seeing the different communities come together to enjoy and celebrate the event. The range of people this event brought together, not just in terms of different cultures, but also the different ages and backgrounds was tremendous. Holding the event in the middle of town centre made it more inclusive to the general members of public who come into the town centre and who may not have otherwise attended the event.”
Kevin Ryan of Charnwood Arts said “I would like to thank the many performers both amateurs and professionals who made the event such an entertaining afternoon. The quality of their performances was extraordinary. The brilliant sunshine made it one of Loughborough’s brightest event this year.”
Quoting Mike Jones, one of the Mela volunteers, “The way that the performers, organisers and the public gelled together was a model of cohesion”.
The Mela committee would like to thank all the volunteers who helped throughout the day to ensure the event ran smoothly, and especially to Simone MacLaine-Freeman, the co-ordinator for all her hard work and efforts in putting together this highly successful event.
The committee would also like to receive feedback from people who had attended, and if you have not already given this via the feedback forms being handed out on the day, please contact Simone MacLaine-Freeman, the organiser via email on simone.mf@charnwoodarts.com
Read Full Story
Report Hate Crime in Charnwood
Added by on 28-05-2010
Report Hate in Charnwood
Read Full Story
Report Hate Crime in Charnwood
Added by on 28-05-2010
Report Hate in Charnwood
Read Full Story
East Side Kahani (Story)
Added by on 24-05-2010
Following last year’s successful multi faith Pantomine, “Dick Whittington”, Loughborough Council performed again at Loughborough Town Hall on Tuesday 15th June 2010 to an almost packed audience.
People from all backgrounds, faiths and cultures came together to bring a bollywood version of the “West Side Story”. The all singing, all dancing production written by Pete Henton, directed by Morry Van Ments and produced by Varsha Parmar.
We would like to thank everyone who came along to watch the performance for their support and to the cast, crew, including the Town Hall technicians who put in the hard work and effort both on stage and backstage to create the wonderful event.
Read Full Story
HIAP leaflet
Added by on 30-04-2010
See the new promotional leaflet for the Hate Incident Action Project
Here
Read Full Story
Successful Launch of the Hate Incident Action Group
Added by on 30-03-2010
Over 65 people attended a high profile launch on Wednesday 24th March at the Ramada Hotel, High Street, Loughborough to launch the 3 year Hate Incident Action Project.
Local groups, organisations and partners were all represented. They were able to find out what is being done around hate crime and what the local impact of the £210,000 project will be.
Human Rights & Equalities Charnwood in partnership with Charnwood Borough Council and Loughborough Police applied to the national Equality & Human Rights Commission for a 3 year project working on the subject of hate crime.
Patrick Devine from the Commission told the audience the partnership had been extremely successful in securing the money from their Strategic Funding Program as there had been over 2,000 applications but only 61 community and voluntary sector organisations across the whole UK were awarded the funding.
For HR&EC this was a real triumph for everyone who had worked incredibly hard to build up the organisation over the past years.
The project will
• give support and guidance to victims of hate crime across the equality strands of disability, race, sexuality, religion or belief, and gender identity,
• provide training and awareness raising to groups, agencies and schools etc.
• re-visit existing reporting centres and establish new ones that incorporate the equality strands.
If your organisation would like to find out how you can be involved or get support from the project please contact Lesley Ansari (Training and Development Officer) on (01509) 261651 or email lesley@humanrightsandequalitiescharnwood.org
Read Full Story
HR&EC Annual Public Lecture
Added by on Thursday 29th April 2010
HR&EC's 3rd Public Lecture 2010 was held on 29th April 2010 at the Robert Martin Hall,Loughborough University.
The guest speaker, The Right Reverend Tim Stevens
Bishop of Leicester delivered an excellent lecture on "Some more equal than others? Equality, faith and the established Church in England today.”
“Recent debates in Parliament over the Equalities Bill have raised a number of questions. How far should Government determine employment rights for faith communities? Where do religious freedoms begin and end in a secular society?
The Lecture covered issues on whether the Bishops of the established Church have any voice in Parliament on these matters? How far should ancient religious traditions accommodate to contemporary views of human sexuality and human rights?
And how can we balance religious freedoms and statutory obligations in a plural society? These questions were explored from the perspective of a Bishop in the Church of England who participates regularly in debates in The House of Lords and currently acts as the Convenor of the Lords Spiritual bench.”
The Lecture was well attended and raised some very interesting questions and debates. For a copy of the lecture please contact the office on 01509 261651.
Read Full Story
Health Fair 2010
Added by on 09-03-2010
A Health Fair organised by Human Rights & Equalities Charnwood (HR&EC), NHS Leicestershire County and Rutland and The Shree Ram Krishna Centre on the 26th February was a huge success. The event was attended by over 150 people who were given the opportunity to learn about a range of health issues from healthy eating, giving up smoking, keeping fit and mental health issues.
The East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) provided life saving first aid demos and Active Together gave free Body MOT’s that were very popular with visitors. Other attractions included a laughter yoga workshop and advice on how to access an NHS dentist.
ESOL student Parvin Begum said, “This was a really good event. We’ve learned how to cope with many different health problems.”
Read Full Story
HR&EC International Women's Day event
Added by on 08-03-2010
OVER 100 WOMEN CELEBRATE INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
Saturday night saw the Carillon Rooms in Ashby Square filled with laughter and excitement as women of all ages and from different cultures gathered to celebrate International Women's day. The free event was organised by Human Rights & Equalities Charnwood and was open to women who live or work in Charnwood. International Women’s day (8th March) is a global day celebrating the achievements of women and was first launched in 1911.
Entertainment included a women’s Morris dancing group, a Bollywood dancing, performance by the ‘Whole Shebang’ a women’s drumming group, stand-up comedy, circle dancing and an excellent buffet meal provided by Surti Swad. Some of the women became models for the evening as they put on Fair Trade clothes or modelled their own cultural dress.
Feedback was overwhelmingly positive and the comments included:
Quoting Lyn Buckley, “It is the first time I have been to such an event, I especially enjoyed talking to women from other cultures”
And Nadia Ansari, “the circle dancing brought everyone together as we were all holding hands and laughing as we tried to remember the steps”.
Varsha Parmar, Development Officer for Human Rights & Equalities Charnwood and the Loughborough Council of Faiths said, “we were incredibly pleased with the response and it was fantastic seeing so many women having fun together”.
To join the mailing list for information of future events you can ring Varsha, Minara or Kate on 01509 261651 or email
info@humanrightsandequalitiescharnwood.org
Read Full Story
SUCCESSFUL EQUALITY & HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION FUNDING
Added by on 30-11-2009
Human Rights & Equalities Charnwood in partnership with Charnwood Borough Council and Loughborough Police applied to the Equality & Human Rights Commission for a 3 year project working around hate crime.
A grant of £209,100 has been successfully awarded for a 3 year project working with victims of hate crime in Charnwood. The project will look at giving support, advice & guidance to victims of hate crime across all the equality strands, providing training and awareness raising to groups, agencies, schools etc. We will be looking at revisiting reporting centres and establishing new ones that incorporate all the equality strands.
More information can be obtained from the Equality & Human Rights Commission website where we are listed as successful applicants. The East Midlands region, we believe, has done really well with successful applications.
Quoting Anne Williams, Chair, “This is a really exciting development for Communities in Charnwood. Together with the South Asian Women’s project these two initiatives will help to eliminate discrimination on the grounds of race, religion and belief, age, disability, gender reassignment, civil partnerships, sex and sexual orientation. The projects will also help to build an infrastructure of statutory and voluntary organisations for partnership working to build more cohesive communities in Charnwood.
Tom Kiernan, head of Communities and Partnerships at Charnwood Borough Council welcoming the award said “This is really good news I am pleased to say that Charnwood Borough Council have supported Human Rights and Equalities Charnwood throughout the application process. We understand that it is only through partnership working that we can make a difference to the victims of hate incidents. Now we can really begin to provide the level of support to victims of abuse in a meaningful way. I want to congratulate all at HREC who have worked so hard to secure this funding.”
Read Full Story
Women in the community raising funds to help the community!
Added by on 29-10-2009
At the recent Festival of Food & Fashion, the Human Rights & Equalities Charnwood together with the help of local women from the community raised £500 to donate to ‘The Bridge’, a local charity.
Fun was had by all at the women’s only event at Rosebery St Peter’s Community Centre on Saturday 24th where more than 150 women and children came together from different backgrounds.
There was a variety of information stalls from the Sustainable Energy Department at Charnwood Borough Council, from the NHS on post natal care and other health issues, Fair Trade, jewellery etc.
There was also a range of cultural food for women to share and an auction carried out by Marj Jones, a well known person in the local community, with prizes from local restaurants, a women’s gym and local traders and individuals in the community.
Maillem Al-Rawi, the newly appointed Development Officer at HR&EC said, “we were very pleased at the turn out we had and women came from all the different communities, in their cultural dresses and many brought cultural food for others to share”.
Kerry Elliott from The Bridge said, “We are extremely grateful for being chosen as your charity and the money will be used to supply emergency packs for victims of domestic violence and we would like to thank HR&EC and the local women for organising the event and raising this amount”.
For further information on future events please contact Maillem or Varsha on (01509) 261651.
Read Full Story
Employing Refugees - Refugee Council Publication
Added by on 05-06-2009
The Refugee Council have recently produced - in partnership with the Equalities and Human Rights Commission - a new publication entitled
'Employing Refugees'.
It is a short guide, outlining the main documents refugees and asylum seekers have to demonstrate entitlement to work in the UK. Though the publication is aimed principally at employers, it would also be useful for anyone working with refugees and asylum seekers and of course, is also helpful to all in increasing understanding and awareness.
To download the publication go to: http://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/practice/employersguides/employing_refugees.htm
Read Full Story
Making sure all citizens can be equal in a modern society
Added by on 21-04-2009
Human Rights & Equalities Charnwood have been successful in securing funds from Lloyds TSB Foundation for a 2 year project working with South Asian Women.
The project will be to help women, particularly from the Bangladeshi community to play a fuller role in their environment and take a more active role in society.
Financially supported by the Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales.
Read Full Story
