Community groups will be empowered to make a stand against hate crime as Bolton partners come together for a national campaign against discrimination.
Tomorrow marks the start of National Hate Crime Awareness Week (October 8-15).
Ahead of this, it has been confirmed that the next round of Bolton’s Fund will offer grants to support community groups to raise awareness of hate crime in their area.
Bolton’s Fund is a voluntary sector grants programme delivered by Bolton Council, Bolton CVS, Bolton at Home and NHS Greater Manchester.
Each round is themed to meet key local priorities and more information will be available on the Bolton CVS website when this latest round opens on October 20.
A hate crime is defined legally as "any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice, based on a person's disability or perceived disability; race or perceived race; or religion or perceived religion; or sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation or transgender identity or perceived transgender identity."
But many people exposed to hate crimes are either unaware they are the victim of a crime or are reluctant to come forward.
That is why awareness campaigns, such as those that will be funded through Bolton’s Fund, are essential so that people can recognise hate crime and know how to report it.
Bolton Councils Executive Cabinet Member for Stronger Communities, Cllr Mudasir Dean, said:
“Bolton has a zero-tolerance approach to hate crime - nobody should be victimised because of who they are.
“The most effective way to tackle hate crime is to call it out and report it wherever it happens, and that’s why raising awareness is absolutely essential.
“I urge community groups to apply for the upcoming round of Bolton’s Fund so we can make sure everyone knows what hate crime is and that it has no place in our borough.”
Dawn Yates-Obé, Chief Executive at Bolton CVS , said:
“Previous grants from the Bolton’s Fund Hate Crime Awareness fund have supported many community groups across the borough to hold events and organise campaigns about how to recognise and report hate crimes – we are proud to be helping to continue raise awareness of this incredibly important issue.”