CITY WELCOMING REST OF THE WORLD

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

City welcoming rest of the world

by David Owen

Nearly a quarter of all people living in the East Midlands who were born abroad reside in Leicester, according to new study.

Not only do 24.7 per cent of the region's foreign-born residents live in the city, but Leicester also has the highest number – 100,843.

The city also saw the largest numerical growth in the migrant population – 46,283 additional non-UK born residents – in a 10-year period.

It follows a study of the migrant population in England and Wales by Oxford University's Migration Observatory, based on its analysis of 2011 Census figures compared with the previous Census in 2001.

The research is the most comprehensive carried out on the city's migrant population.

It reveals that Leicester's migrant population has increased by 71.7 per cent – from 64,560 to 110,843 in 10 years.

The data reveals that of the 329,839 people living in Leicester – the East Midlands' largest city – in 2011, 33.6 per cent were not born in the UK, the highest proportion of any place in the region.

Dr Carlos Vargas-Silva, the senior researcher leading the Census project, said: "Reports produced by the Office for National Statistics often only provide information about broad immigration trends in the country.

"The purpose of our study was to give people a clearer idea of what is happening as far as immigration is concerned where they live."

Residents born in India represent the most numerous non-UK-born group in Leicester (37,224 residents, 34 per cent of Leicester's foreign-born), followed by residents born in Kenya (7,118; 3.3 per cent); Poland (6,417; 2.9 per cent); Pakistan (3,534; 1.6 per cent), and Zimbabwe (3,377; 1.5 per cent).

Of the proportional change in foreign-born residents since 2001, Poland represents the biggest increase (1,111 per cent; 530 to 6,417), followed by China (728 per cent; 290 to 2,401); Iran (508 per cent; 111 to 675); Zimbabwe (270 per cent; 913 to 3,377, and Nigeria (269 per cent; 307 to 1,133).

Dr Vargas-Silva said: "Leicester is interesting in many ways. We expected it to be an important destination for immigrants to the country, but what we found is it is also much more diverse than most other areas. People come to Leicester from all over the world."

He said the type of immigration was also interesting.

"You have networking migration, which is people who have family, friends and relatives already living in an area, and also areas with high student populations and people looking for work. But while some places like Vauxhall, in London, have high migrant populations due to students, and Boston, Lincolnshire, with a large migrant workforce, Leicester scores high on all counts."

FATHER AND SON HONOURED

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Father and son honoured

A father and son have been recognised for their work in the community.

Abdulla Moti, 77, and his 52-year-old son Abdulaziz were presented with honoured citizen awards by Lord Mayor, Abdul Osman, this week.

Abdulla was responsible for setting up Cutchi Sunni Muslim Association in Leicester in 2002, based on a similar organisation he had founded in Nairobi, Kenya.

He said: "At the start, we were concerned with bringing the different parts of the community together – there were a lot of people from Kenya in Leicester."

Originally chairman of the association – a post now held by his son – Abdulla is currently its chief adviser, assistant treasurer and social activities organiser.

He is well known for helping to take elderly members of the association on trips around the country.

Abdulaziz has been involved with a charity raising money for Kosovan and Albanian war victims, providing mosques, education and clinics.

He has helped organise numerous fund-raising events, ranging from football tournaments to fashion shows.

For the past five years, he has been trustee of the madrasa (school) at the Loughborough Road mosque.

This provides Islamic education evening classes for boys and girls, held from 5pm to 7pm, Monday to Friday.

There are currently 380 students registered to take part

Abdulaziz said: "We have segregated classes in the mosque – one upstairs, the other downstairs.

"It helps children understand their heritage and keeps them off the streets."

Aside from his community and charity work, he runs a property business in Leicester and lives off Melton Road.

He and his father maintain a close contact with Kenya, from where Mr Moti senior moved to the UK in 1987.

They are responsible for building a mosque, a hospital, an orphanage and an Islamic studies centre at Mitito Andei, between Nairobi and Mombasa.

The two received their honoured citizen certificates from the Lord Mayor at a ceremony at Leicester Town Hall.

Abdulaziz said: "For me and my dad, receiving this honour is a great achievement.

"The award shows that what we have done for charity and the community is appreciated by those we are working to help."

Coun Osman said: "It was a privilege to speak to these two men and hand over their certificates to them.

"They have done so much for so many people in Kenya, Kosovo and Leicester.

"It shows that there are individuals, often hidden away in the background, who are responsible for quite notable achievements."