Shepshed Community EYE - Issue 2 - February 2011 • Visit the website at www.shepshedeye.co.uk
Reporting Hate Charnwood Project Brings Help To Victims
BORIS THE BOFFIN Shepshed Eye’s one-man think tank applies his strange brand of logic to those nagging little problems …
Human hamsters Throughout the UK every day, thousands of fitness fanatics pump iron, lift weights, or simply go jogging to keep fit. All of the energy they expend is wasted. An imaginative use of Lottery funds would be to install energy recovery equipment in every gymnasium and sports club throughout the country. The reclaimed energy would be fed into the National Grid, or used to supplement local heating systems..
Never lose your glasses If you are short-sighted, avoid the embarrassment of misplacing your glasses and being unable to find them by sellotaping a spare pair to the top of your head, for use in emergencies only.
Boil in the bag meals If you cook a boil in the bag meal last thing at night, and then suddenly lose your appetite before serving the meal, don’t despair. Simply use the bag with its hot contents as a makeshift hot water bottle, and enjoy a warm night’s sleep.
Keep flies out of your kitchen To rid your kitchen of flies in hot weather, simply place a large bucket of pig manure in your lounge.
Prevent overpopulation of the planet World leaders should take steps to avert a population explosion by making it illegal to possess nappies, rusks and gripe water.
Overcome water shortages Instead of snowploughs simply pushing snow to the side of the road in winter, the snow should be collected, loaded onto lorries and transported to reservoirs to top up supplies. Have YOU got the same sort of brain as Boris? Do you get flashes of inspiration on a regular basis? Share your wisdom with other readers by writing to: BRAINWAVES, Shepshed Eye, PO Box 8, Markfield,
Leics. LE67 9ZT or email to info@shepshedeye.co.uk
The Hate Incident Action Project is calling upon Charnwood residents to report all future hate incidents so that local authorities and agencies have a clearer picture of the nature and scale of the problem in the Borough and so that victims can receive the help and support so often needed but not always readily available. The Project, which is run by Human Rights & Equalities Charnwood, works closely with organisations such as the police and local councils, and is already providing support to people who have been targeted because of their difference or because of their belonging to, or association with, a minority group or community. Tony Kelly, Hate Incident and Support Officer explains:“Historically, hate crime has been seen mainly as an issue of race or ethnicity, for example through racist incidents. However this is a very narrow view, as hate crime can also be motivated by a person’s hatred or prejudice in regard to age, disability, gender or gender identity, sexuality, and religion or belief. We know also that there is massive under- reporting of hate crime. There is perhaps also a perception that hate incidents are mainly restricted to towns and cities. Our experience however shows that incidents are just as likely to occur in villages or more rural areas, and that the effects on victims can be even more devastating due to isolation and a lack of support. Through the Hate Incident Action Project we want to encourage more people to report hate incidents
whenever and wherever they occur so that we can get a much better picture of what is happening in Charnwood. By doing so we can help to ensure that various resources across Charnwood are better targeted, and that victims and their families receive the best possible level of support”. Several agencies have already joined forces with the project and are adapting the way in which they deal with hate incidents, through procedural changes and staff awareness. In doing so, those agencies have also become alternative reporting centres for hate incidents, providing an additional or alternative method of reporting should the victim or witness not wish to report an incident to the police. Anyone can report a hate incident, whether victim, witness or third party. For example, a shop customer may witness racial abuse being directed towards a shopkeeper, or it could be that a group of youths is seen by a passer-by to ridicule someone with a disability. Quite often the victims in these types of case do not have sufficient confidence or knowledge to report them, and so they continue to suffer. However, if the witness or in fact any third party reports the incident enquiries can be made by Project staff that can lead to positive action on behalf of the victim. If the report is for information purposes only, then at least the Project is aware and can look at alternative measures. Incidents can be reported in a variety of ways, either in person at a reporting centre, or by phone, or on-line. For further details please contact the Hate Incident Action Project on 01509 261651, or to report on- line visit www.humanrightsandequalitiescharnwood.org.
Have your say on housing and you could win £50 of vouchers Charnwood Neighbourhood Housing (CNH), which manages social housing on behalf of the Charnwood Borough Council, is holding a series of drop-in sessions to give tenants the opportunity to have their say on housing services.
Staff from CNH will be hosting the ‘What matters to you’ events at venues across the district asking tenants what matters to them and how they think existing services can be improved or what new services they would like to see. Everyone attending will be entered into a prize draw to win £50 high street shopping vouchers. The Shepshed event details are as follows:
Thursday 17 February 6pm – 8pm Shepshed Town Council Offices, Charnwood Rd, Shepshed Sally Harbey, Customer Services and Engagement Manager for CNH said: “We encourage all of our tenants and leaseholders to come along to these events to have their say. The feedback we receive will help us to develop and improve a variety of services and target funds towards the services that tenants feel are most important.” If you would like more information about these events or would like to get involved, please contact the Customer Engagement team on 01509 634 931 or email involvement@cnh.org.uk
I never panic when I get lost. I just change where it is I want to go.