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Interwoven Histories – A new creative project for older BME people in Leeds!

This year, Touchstone has partnered with visual arts organisation, Pavilion to deliver “Interwoven Histories” – a  project which aims to engage older people from BME communities in creative arts workshops. Wednesday 18th October marked the first workshop of our exciting new programme, when Carol Sorhaindo introduced the Hamari Yaadain Dementia Café members to the use of saffron dyes and block painting. It is well known that saffron is the most

2020-04-17T10:47:09+01:0028th October 2017|Art, Blog, Celebrating Age, Dementia|

Frank Bailey firefighter #BlackHistoryMonth

Frank Arthur Bailey, a man who’s legacy has been remembered by a glistening career in the London Fire Brigade, passed away in 2015 aged 90. Born in Guyana, Frank came to England in 1953 as a political activist, joining the West Indian Standing Conference. Whilst a member of WISC, he heard about the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), to which a representative explained that Black people ‘were not employed by the

2020-04-17T10:47:05+01:0027th October 2017|Black History Month, Blog|

"Always made my day" – the Best Start Peer Support Project

We asked participants in the Best Start peer support programme how they felt on the final day of the course. Here is what they said. “I’m gutted, I wish it went on for longer, everyone has been really friendly, I will miss everyone” “I wish it went on for longer, I’ve really enjoyed it and learnt so much about myself, I feel sad to say goodbye” “I’ve learned a lot

2017-10-26T09:00:49+01:0026th October 2017|Blog, Carers, Families, Feedback|

Clive Sullivan rugby player #BlackHistoryMonth

A Great Britain and Wales international winger, Clive Sullivan played with both Hull and Hull Kingston Rovers in his career, and also played for Oldham, and Doncaster. He was the first black captain of the Great Britain Lions and for any national British sporting side. Clive A. Sullivan MBE (born 9 April 1943 in Cardiff, died 8 October 1985 in Hull) was a Welsh rugby union and professional Rugby League

2020-04-17T10:46:56+01:0024th October 2017|Black History Month, Blog, Sport|

Muhammed Ali boxer #BlackHistoryMonth

Muhammed Ali was ‘more than just a Boxer’. He was a Black, Muslim man in Pre-Civil Rights Era America and he would go on to be an activist for the remainder of his life. Erasing these facts not only erases his importance to Black people worldwide, but the prejudice and struggles Ali endured. When asked why he would not join the US Army draft to fight in Vietnam, Ali said;

2020-04-17T10:46:54+01:0023rd October 2017|Black History Month, Blog, Sport|

Jesse Owens athlete #BlackHistoryMonth

In 1936 African American sprinter Jesse Owens amazed the world by breaking Olympic records and winning four gold medals in Berlin, the headquarters of Hitler’s Nazi regime. However, Owens became known not only for his athletic triumphs, but for his friendship with German competitor Luz Long and for the social barriers he broke down in the face of Hitler’s Nazi regime. Childhood James Cleveland Owens was the youngest of ten

2020-04-17T10:46:51+01:0022nd October 2017|Black History Month, Blog, Sport|

Margaret Busby publisher #BlackHistoryMonth

Born in Accra in the Gold Coast to parents with roots in Barbados, Trinidad and Dominica, she became Britain’s youngest and first Black woman book publisher, when in 1967 she co-founded Allison & Busby with Clive Allison (1944-2011). “We started off with virtually no money and thought we would go into making volumes of poetry accessible and affordable to young people like ourselves. So we printed 15,000 paperback poetry books

2020-04-17T10:46:46+01:0019th October 2017|Art, Black History Month, Blog|

Celebration event for the International Day of Older People at Leeds City Museum

To celebrate the International Day of Older People on Sunday the 1st of October, Leeds City Museum curated a wonderful display of thousands of forget-me-not flowers which had been created by community groups around Leeds. As a symbol of memory and love, the forget-me-not flower was chosen to raise awareness of Dementia, and as you may recognise this is also the symbol for the Alzheimer’s Society’s Dementia Friends. This years

2020-04-17T10:46:44+01:0018th October 2017|Art, Blog, Dementia|

Best Start Peer Support Project – feedback on each of our sessions

To help us assess the course offered by the Best Start peer support project, we asked participants to give some comments on each week’s content. Week 1 – Dealing with Stress Because now I can recognise when my stress starts, I can practice these exercises to cool down. Useful ways to recognise my stress levels and useful resources to help clam the stress levels down. I think maybe more skills

2017-10-16T09:00:46+01:0016th October 2017|Blog, Carers, Community, Families, Feedback, Peer Support|

James Peters rugby player #BlackHistoryMonth

James Peters (August 1879 - 26 March 1954) was an English rugby union player and, later, a rugby league player. He is notable as the first black man to play rugby union for England. He was also known as "Darkie Peters". James Peters (August 1879 – 26 March 1954) was an English rugby union player and, later, a rugby league player. He is notable as the first black man to

2020-04-17T10:46:32+01:0015th October 2017|Black History Month, Blog, Sport|