Family Intervention Project Diversity Day

At the Oak Centre, Braunstone, this morning to take part in a “Diversity Day” sponsored by Action for Children Leicester Family Intervention Project. We were invited to be here today by Claire Glanville, Project Worker with FIP, whom I met when we were both exhibiting at the Leicestershire Cares “Sport and Support Day” at Braunstone Leisure Centre, 2 September (see blog entry for that date).

Action for Children Leicester Family Intervention Project offers a range of help for families at risk of losing their homes because of anti-social behaviour, offending or other difficulties. Their services help families develop personal and parenting skills, so they can cope better and react in a more positive way to problems. Action for children Leicester Family Intervention project is a service with professional, caring staff who put the needs and safety of children and young people before everything else. While they don’t judge, they do challenge families to be responsible tenants and neighbours and give them the practical and emotional support they need to achieve a safer, stable and more rewarding life.

Action for Children (one of the UK’s largest children’s charities) is committed to helping the most vulnerable children and young people in the UK break through injustice, deprivation and inequality.

Also on display here today: an African-Caribbean information stall; Braunstone SureStart Children’s Centre; St Peter’s Church Braunstone Park; Leicester Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Centre; Traveller Women’s Group; Vista; Saffron Arts; Family Action (showcasing two projects: “Break the Cycle”, for dads and “Two Halves, One Whole”); Children’s Council; Wot Box Participation; Leicester City Council Children’s and Young People’s Services.  It’s a busy, friendly, fun sort of event, with balloons, henna tattoos, drumming (there's always drumming at such events these days!) and an arts and crafts activity table for children.

We're treated to a performance by local dance group, Angel Delight (been ages since I've had that ... my favourite was butterscotch).

Pleasant conversations with the Revd Canon J. Christopher Burch from St Peter's Church and Nayna Mistry from Sri Vedmata Gayatri Pariwar. Must line up a couple of visits to both of them soon.

Today, the blog itself becomes the main feature of my contribution. I posted a blog entry about this event within the first hour or so of it starting, which was then picked up and reposted by by leicesterblogs within little more than five minutes. I point that out to some of the folk from Action for children and before I know it, lots of people want to read the blog and make a fuss over it (which was nice).

Find out more about Action for Children:
http://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/

Find out more about St Peter's church, Braunstone:
http://www.stpetersbraunstone.org.uk/

Find out more about Sri Vedmata Gayatri Pariwar:
http://www.svgpuk.org/

LEICESTERSHIRE CARES "SPORT & SUPPORT DAY"

At Braunstone Leisure Centre, for the "Sport and Support Day" organised by Leicestershire Cares. The event, several weeks in the planning,  has been widened out somewhat, from the original target group of homeless and vulnerably housed people, to encompass people experiencing situations of domestic abuse or violence, asylum seekers and refugees.

Chris Toon, Homelessness Project Officer for Leicestershire Cares (who has been the driving force in this event) asked me to bring the full set of banners in the Council of Faiths display. I thought that might be a little overwhelming, given the nature of the displays that some of the other participants would be able to put up, but he insisted that we show ourselves off in our full regalia.

Councillor Wesley (who has backed this event since it was first mooted) spoke from the stage. Councillor Wan dropped by and Councillor Hall (the Lord Mayor of Leicester) came round the stalls (in mufti).

Other agencies, groups and organisations taking part today include:

• Action for Children Family Intervention Project
• Action Homeless
• Domestic Violence Integrated Response Project
• inTraining
• Kiddy Care Ltd
• Leicester City Council Revenues & Benefits
• Leicester College
• Leicester Community Legal Advice Centre
• Leicester Home Choice
• Leicester Libraries
• Leicestershire Constabulary (Hinckley Road local policing unit)
• Multi Access Centres
• Refugee Action
• Safe (domestic violence support for women)
• Soar Valley Music Centre
• Somaili Development Service
• STAR (Supporting Tenants & Residents)
• SureStart Braunstone
• Welfare Rights Advice
• Zinthia Ganeshpan Trust

The day seems to have been a success, with perhaps as many as 350 people attending. People attending get a free day pass to the leisure and sport facilities here (except for the swimming pool) and First Bus have offered a free return ticket to those travelling here by public transport. Staff and service users from hostels and other facilities take a variety of materials from our stall, such as the set of introductory leaflets.

Claire Glanville, from Action for Children Family Intervention Project, signs me up to take part in a "Diversity Day" that they'll be holding at the end of October. Think I'll bring just the one banner for that one though!