 ouncillor Anna Rothery will be sworn in at a ceremony at the Town Hall on Wednesday 4 September – making history as the city’s first ever black Lord Mayor. Her appointment follows Peter Brennan’s resignation from the post in July. Breaking the mould isn’t new territory for Councillor Rothery, as in 2012 she made political history by becoming the first Liverpool councillor to address the floor of the United Nations in Geneva. During her speech to representatives from more than 50 countries, Anna talked about the city’s minority communities and the work undertaken to get them to participate in politics. Councillor Rothery became a councillor in 2006 and is responsible for the Princes Park ward – an area she was born and bred in. Anna attended St Silas Primary School and the former Paddington Comprehensive School, and continued her education by undertaking a number of Diplomas in various subjects including law, sociology and psychology. For more than 25 years, the new Lord Mayor has worked on business and community development initiatives, and now works as a consultant for Migrant Workers North West – an organisation which champion the rights of our diverse community. She is also the North West Ambassador for the British Institute of Human Rights. Currently Mayoral Lead for equality and race, Anna has always put the community at the heart of her work. She is a key player in Operation Black Vote – a scheme to get more black people in to politics – and also plays an integral role in bringing various community, political and faith leaders locally, nationally and internationally together to deal with issues relating to inclusion, diversity and new and emerging communities. There is a particular focus on education, employment, business, cultural awareness and championing economic equality.  Anna regularly chairs events at the International Slavery Museum and is involved with the Slavery Remembrance Day celebrations and commemorations which will take place on Friday 23 August.
A decision on the Lord Mayor’s three official charities will be made in the forthcoming weeks, although Councillor Rothery has confirmed The Anthony Walker Foundation will be one of them. Councillor Anna Rothery said: “To be given this opportunity is overwhelming and exciting at the same time, although I wish the circumstances were different. “But now is as good as time as any – I was passionate about becoming a councillor and making a difference and I am equally as passionate about becoming Lord Mayor and having this opportunity to champion what I hold most dear: equality, diversity and community. “There is so much to celebrate in this city and I’m proud to be the city’s first black Lord Mayor and I look forward to bringing our communities together. “I hope that by taking on such a public-facing role I can be a positive role model to young men and women who come from similar backgrounds to me. “I’m a working class woman brought up in Toxteth – where you come from should never stop you striving or achieving your goals, in fact it has made me even more determined to prove myself, and in turn make a difference to the lives of others. “It’s going to be an exciting and emotional journey and I can’t wait to get started.” Source : The Guide Liverpool, 13 Aug 2019  Eleven-year-old entrepreneur Omari McQueen is the youngest award-winning vegan chef in the UK. In addition to being the founder of his own company, Dipalicious, he’s now CEO of a restaurant of the same name. The pop-up will take place at Boxpark Croydon this summer. While menu details have not yet been released, McQueen loves sharing vegan Caribbean food on his Instagram, such as BBQ jackfruit with breadfruit fries and curry. His company Dipalicious makes vegan dips inspired by Caribbean cuisine, such as Luv’in Jerk, Caribbean Kick, and Coco Curry. Vegan snacks will launch soon, according to the website. “I can’t believe my dreams are coming true,” McQueen wrote on Instagram earlier this month. How McQueen Became A Vegan Chef  McQueen learned about veganism from a PETA UK video at just eight-years-old and became determined to make food that could be enjoyed by all. He also wanted to teach other children about vegan food. One year prior, his parents ignited a passion for cooking in young McQueen, who was taught to cook after his mother fell ill.
While making vegan pizza on his YouTube channel, he found that the end result was too dry and, not knowing if Heinz was vegan, he made his first dip. It was a hit with friends and family, which inspired him to found Dipalicious. He began saving for his own bus-converted vegan restaurant as well as ready meals for kids. Today, he also hosts kids' cooking workshops from home. The young entrepreneur's accomplishments have already been recognized a number of times. In 2018, he won the TruLittle Hero Award for being the Entrepreneur Hero under 12 by Cause4Children Ltd. He won the Compassionate Kid Award from PETA for his work helping animals last November. “His compassion and his determination to create a better world for animals are a wonderful example for other kids – and adults – to follow,” said PETA director Elisa Allen in a statement. He also won the Proud & Gifted Award for his work as a vegan chef and youth empowerment speaker. Dipalicious’s vegan pop-up restaurant will take place at Boxpark Croydon from August 17-24. Source: Written by Kat Smith, Livekindly - 22nd July 2019  Martin Griffiths, consultant trauma surgeon at the Royal London Hospital, becomes the health service's first clinical director for violence reduction. Mr Griffiths helped set up a service for young patients injured through gang crime, providing support to victims while they are being treated on wards. The scheme has reduced the number of young people returning to the hospital with further injuries from 45% to less than 1% in six years, NHS England said. Mr Griffiths' new role will see him support other London hospitals to create ward-based services and develop new ways to tackle violence.  Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, said this approach could be rolled out across the country in the future.
"Violent crime destroys lives and as a society we need to do far more to reduce violent crime," he said. "Martin's commitment to patients doesn't end when they leave hospital and his inspiring work at The Royal London, and in classrooms in the capital, has helped reduce the number of patients who recover only to return again with another gun or knife injury. "Martin's new role will help us do even more to break the cycle of violence and keep people - particularly young people - safe. "However, he is just one of many doctors, nurses and other NHS staff trying to stem the bloodshed at source by tackling gang violence across the country - and if this initiative works we would like to see it rolled out in all regions." Almost 5,000 people were admitted to hospital after being attacked by a knife or sharp object last year, up by nearly a third since 2012-13, NHS England said. Teenagers accounted for 1,012 admissions, a rise of 55% from six years ago. Mr Griffiths said: "Every day I see the wasted opportunities of young people stuck on hospital wards with life-changing injuries. We do everything we can for these patients but don't just want to patch them up and send them back out to be injured again. And by working together across the NHS there is more we can do to prevent these attacks happening in the first place." "I want to build a network that will empower communities across London to challenge the attitudes and behaviours that result in violence." Source : ITV News - 19/6/2019 |
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