Unity in the Community stand against racism

FURNESS community groups and sports clubs, including AFC and the Raiders, are banding together to take a stand against racism. Groups, which also include Ormsgill Residents and Tenants Association and Furness Multicultural Forum, have organised an event, aimed at stamping out racism and celebrating the Ormsgill public’s unity and opposition to it.

The “Unity in the Community” celebration will include soccer skills sessions and competitions, run by Barrow AFC community officer Neil Doherty, as well as rugby coaching by Barrow Raiders coach Dave Clark. Other attractions will include basketball, an MC-ing competition, art work, dancing and a climbing wall.

Mr Doherty, a Wembley FA Trophy winner with AFC in 1990, said: “We’ve been running Kick Racism Out of Football at Barrow AFC for four years now, and I think we’ve been at the forefront of challenging racism in the community.

“We’re all keen to show that diversity is a good thing within communities. I don’t think the BNP would support that too much but we are working to show that we believe in that.”

There will also be food tasting from around the world, multi-cultural dancers and an audio-visual exhibition by Sedbergh artist Trevor Avery, called “From Auschwitz to Ambleside”, which tells the story of young Jewish boys who fled to Cumbria from the Nazis.

The festival will take place at Ormsgill Community Centre on Sunday April 13, between 2pm and 4pm, with music from 4pm-6pm.

Alec Proffitt, of Barrow’s Unison branch, said: “We deplore all forms of racism and the politics of hate and will actively seek to eradicate it from the workplace and the communities of the borough.”

Mike Ashburner is standing for the British National Party in the Ormsgill ward in May. The party opposes mixed race relationships and believe all immigration into Britain should be stopped, but Mr Ashburner insists neither he nor his party are racist.

North-West Evening Mail