Central England Co-op says big festive thank you to hard working colleagues by closing food stores on Boxing Day Retailer Central England Co-op will close the vast majority of its 244 food stores on Boxing Day this year to give its colleagues more time to enjoy Christmas with their loved ones The decision has been made in recognition of the extraordinary efforts of its colleagues over the last 18 months This follows the retailer rewarding all of its colleagues with an extra day off in recognition of their role in Central England Co-op being named Leading Co-op of the Year earlier this year Central England Co-op is saying a ‘big festive thank you’ to its frontline retail colleagues by closing the majority of its food stores on Boxing Day so they can spend more time with their loved ones. The decision has been made to recognise the extraordinary efforts of hardworking colleagues throughout a challenging 18 months since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The retailer hopes that by keeping stores closed on Boxing Day more colleagues can benefit from having a longer break from work and be able to travel and spend extra time with family and friends at Christmas. Central England Co-op Chief Executive Debbie Robinson said: “We want to create a sustainable Society for all and that starts with our colleagues, who have worked tirelessly in these extraordinary times to sustain the wellbeing and safety of our members, customers and communities. “Christmas is a really special time for so many and perhaps even more so this year after we missed out on celebrating the season in the way we wanted last year due to lockdown restrictions. “In recognition of this and in appreciation of everything our retail colleagues have done during the uncertain times of the last 18 months, we will be closing the vast majority of our food stores on Boxing Day. “This will allow our colleagues to have a weekend of festive fun with their families and friends and to have a well-deserved break. I want to thank our customers and members in advance for their understanding.” All Central England Co-op food stores will be closed on Boxing Day, apart from its six 24-hour Petrol Filling Stations which will remain open to serve their communities and to keep customers and members moving across the festive period. As a further thank you, all Central England Co-op’s over 7,800 colleagues will be able to enjoy double discount in the retailer’s stores from November 1 until January 8, as well as an additional £25 gift added to their membership cards to use in store. Earlier this year the retailer rewarded all of its colleagues with an extra day off in recognition of their role in Central England Co-op being named Leading Co-op of the Year by Co-operatives UK.

Diwali in Leicester the Light switch-on 24th October 2021. Our news report video Leicester’s annual Diwali celebrations returned to the city’s streets today, with a new approach that made public safety a priority. In a change to previous years, the main entertainment stage, usually sited near to the Belgrave roundabout, was replaced by a giant screen showing a recorded cultural programme. With a second screen also located on the junction with Wand Street and a third was on Cossington Street Recreation Ground the festival site. The cultural programme featuring dance, music and religious ceremony was shown on the giant screens every hour, with the main event of the lights switch on at 6.30pm. Thousands watched as the lights of Diwali came to life with a trio of fire performers, Helter Skelter Arts. This year, the annual firework displays was replaced with a warm and light Fire Garden on Cossington Street Recreation Ground. During the switch-on there was giant puppets Hanuman and Ravana they roamed Belgrave Road in a battle over good and evil. On Diwali Day Thursday 4th November, a Global Rainbow light will be beamed across the city, and also on Diwali day Cossington Street Recreation Ground will be hosting a Diwali Village featuring food, stalls and funfair rides. This year seen the return of the Diwali Wheel of Light, located on Belgrave Road. There is also a fantastic selection of events taking place around the city during Diwali Leicester festival period. For more information https://www.visitleicester.info/diwali Diwali Leicester 2021 is sponsored by Leicester University and the event was hosted by Leicester City council event and festivals teams. Watch our Diwali 2021 Film #DiwaliLeicester #Diwali2021 #LMNews #Diwali

And for Diwali Day : Thursday 4 November Phase 1 Belgrave Road will be partially closed between Belgrave Circle and Garfield Street from 2pm to enable the screens to be set up. Vehicles will still be able to access the rest of Belgrave Road from the Melton Road/Loughborough Road end until 5pm. Please be aware this will cause delays for vehicles getting into and exiting the area. Phase 2 A full closure of Belgrave Road and the junctions with its side roads will be in place from 5pm until approximately 9.30pm, during which time vehicles will not have any access. Please note that on both dates the Emergency Services and Leicester City Council will need to maintain two clear routes through the Belgrave area for emergency vehicles. The routes are: Loughborough Road, Holden Street, Ross Walk, MacDonald Road, Hildyard Road, Marjorie Street, Abbey Park Street, Harrison Road, Surrey Street, Doncaster Road, Cossington Street, Rothley Street, Rendell Road and Portsmouth Road. Any vehicles parked on these roads, which will be marked on both sides with ‘No Waiting’ cones, between 6am and 10pm on Sunday 24 October and Thursday 4 November will be ticketed and towed away. Doncaster Road will have the existing one-way order suspended for both Diwali events. In addition, any vehicle causing an obstruction on any road in the Belgrave Area will also be ticketed and towed away. Any vehicle parked in contravention of a parking restriction, temporary parking restriction, causing obstruction or dangerously parked will be issued with a Penalty Charge Notice and will be towed away to a secure compound. You will also incur costs for the vehicle being towed to the recovery company. It is important that you adhere to signs, lines and cones in place for this event to avoid any penalties. Download the Diwali guide here

Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service welcomes all Business Owners and Managers to attend our FREE Business Fire Safety Workshops on 23 November at City Hall in Leicester. These workshops will help business owners and managers to understand their legal responsibilities and duties under the Regulatory Reform Order 2005. There will be two workshops on Tuesday 23 November, both running for approximately one hour. The first workshop is at 10am, the second at 2pm. These workshops are FREE for all business owners, managers and ‘responsible persons’ throughout Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. There will be a vast amount of content covered, ranging from Fire Risk Assessments to Premises Inspections and Fire Safety Audits. The overall aim is to ensure businesses and customers are safe from fire, and to ensure that business owners understand their legal responsibilities under the Fire Safety Order 2005. We want to welcome and support small business owners, those just starting up, and businesses that have not been audited by our Inspecting Officers. All business owners and managers are encouraged to attend one of our workshops to receive simple, practical advice and guidance on important topics. Following these workshops, we will hold an optional Q&A session with the Fire Protection Inspecting Officers team. This will give all attendees the opportunity to discuss fire safety subjects, or to ask our team questions in an informal setting. Due to these workshops becoming increasingly popular, spaces are limited and pre-booking is essential. You can book online here. Alternatively you can book via email at: FireSafety.Advisors@leics-fire.gov.uk or over the phone: 0116 210 5555

New donors needed in Leicestershire as part of biggest ever blood donor recruitment drive to help NHS recover People in Leicestershire are being urged to join a growing club of new donors stepping forward to help the NHS recover this winter, as it is revealed that 9,629 fewer donors in the East Midlands gave blood during the height of the pandemic. Around 6,907 dedicated donors regularly donated at Leicester’s Blood Donor Centre last year, compared with 8,309 the year before*. This mirrored the national picture in England which saw hospitals kept in good supply with blood during the pandemic by the smallest pool of donors in the 21st Century. Until recently the NHS intentionally relied on existing donors to fill the majority of appointments throughout the pandemic because they are far more likely to make a successful donation – a vital measure to make every donation count while social distancing reduced available chair space. This meant fewer appointments were available for new donors. Alongside the natural lifecycle of blood donors retiring every day, this led to the community of active donors shrinking last year to its lowest level since 1996. Now, as life returns to normal and with fewer people donating regularly, the NHS needs new blood donors to play a crucial role in its recovery. An unprecedented 100,000** new donors are needed to register and donate blood by spring to achieve the largest ever annual recruitment drive and join the amazing 67,000 new donors who have already joined the club this year. New donors are needed at Leicester Blood Donor Centre, Mansion House, Ground Floor. 41 Guildhall Lane, Leicester, LE1 5FQ. Around 1900 extra appointments have been added at the Donor Centre in November to make booking your first donation even easier. Around three quarters of a million people in England donated blood during the height of the pandemic – almost 40,000 fewer regular donors than the year before*. Demand for blood dropped by 27 percent at the start of the pandemic as hospitals reduced elective care. As a result, collections were adjusted and reduced by 21 percent. This ensured that blood stocks remain above the six day target throughout. Demand for blood is now back at pre-pandemic levels and may increase in the coming months as hospitals continue A new campaign (This Is Amazing - NHS Blood Donation) launched by the NHS today will run for six weeks and include TV adverts and support from businesses and influencers to celebrate blood donors and their lifesaving role during the pandemic, urging others to join the club of dedicated and amazing donors. Helen Duggan, Assistant Director of Donor Campaigns at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Maintaining a safe and regular supply of blood to hospitals is our top priority. Through the most critical time of the pandemic this was achieved thanks to a loyal club of existing donors – the smallest of the 21st century. “As hospitals catch up on routine care, we are facing a critical crossroads to meet the rise in demand for blood and are appealing for new donors in Leicestershire to step forward and join this amazing group of lifesaving people. Blood is needed to help the NHS treat patients with cancer, blood disorders and those suffering medical trauma or undergoing surgery, and O negative blood is mostly used for emergency care. Each donation can save or improve up to three lives. In recent years there’s been a particular need for more Black donors, who are more likely to have the RO sub-type blood needed to help treat people with sickle cell. Become a blood donor. Register today and book and appointment by visiting www.blood.co.uk, Or download the GiveBloodNHS app or call 0300 123 23 23.

Mammoth task of installing the twinkling lights and the colourful garlands that will decorate Leicester city centre this Christmas gets under way this week. From today (Tuesday 19 October), the city council will start putting up the decorations that cross the city’s main shopping streets and installing the first of the 16,000 lamps that will light up Leicester in the run-up to Christmas. This year, the council has spent £50,000 updating the city’s stock of decorations and replacing worn-out fixtures and fittings. The extra funding means there will be a brand new look for Gallowtree Gate – where elegant red and white decorations will span the street – and a fresh look for the Town Hall, where the traditional ‘Christmas Greetings’ motif will be joined by some colourful new LED Christmas trees. In Green Dragon Square at Leicester Market, illuminated garlands will be strung between the square’s lamp-columns, while the trees in the square will be lit up with pea-lights. Next month, at the Clock Tower, a 50ft Christmas tree will be carefully lowered into place and decorated with blue, gold and white baubles, while the city’s traditional nativity scene and a festive tableau scene – featuring a new augmented reality experience for youngsters – will be installed in Town Hall Square. To ensure crowds are spread out around the city centre, there will be no stage programme on Humberstone Gate when the lights are switched on this year. Instead, a countdown – played out on speakers at 6.30pm on Thursday 18 November – will herald the switch-on of Leicester’s Christmas lights. Deputy city mayor Cllr Piara Singh Clair said: “The city council has updated its stock of festive decorations again this year and our lighting team will be working hard to make sure that Leicester, once again, looks magical throughout the festive season. “I’m delighted that our celebrations will return to Leicester’s streets this Christmas, with just a few changes to make sure that people can join in safely. “I hope that our festive lights will help put everyone in the mood for a very happy Christmas.” The council’s lighting team will be installing the decorations early in the morning and at weekends to minimise inconvenience to road users. Decorating the city – including Town Hall Square and around 20 city centre streets – will take four weeks to complete. Low energy LED bulbs are used in all of Leicester’s decorations. A full programme of events taking place in Leicester this Christmas, including the return of the Jubilee Square ice rink, will be published soon.

Diwali in Leicester Sunday 24 October: 5.30pm-8.30pm 5pm: Belgrave Road closes to traffic 5.30pm: Cultural programme* on the three big screens (repeated at 6.30pm and 7.30pm) 6.30pm: Recorded countdown and switch-on of the Diwali lights • Diwali Village (Cossington Street recreation ground) • Fire Garden (Cossington Street recreation ground) • Wheel of Light (Belgrave Road) • Giant puppets (the Hindu god Hanuman and the demon king Ravana) • Fire performers *Recorded programme includes a religious ceremony performed by the Hindu Festival Council as well as entertainment from Nupur Arts, the Centre for Indian Classical Dance, and the Shiamak UK dancers, working in partnership with Aakash Odedra. Leicester is getting ready to celebrate the festival of Diwali – and it all starts this Sunday (24 October). After 2020’s virtual celebrations, the city council willtake the festivities back on to the streets of Belgrave this year, but with a new approach that will reduce the need for people to congregate in one place at the same time. In a change to previous years, the stage usually sited near the Belgrave roundabout will be replaced with a giant screen. A second giant screen will go up near Belgrave Road’s junction with Wand Street, with a third screen installed on Cossington Street recreation ground. Each of the three screens will show a pre-recorded, cultural programme that will run three timesthroughout the evening – starting at 5.30pm on Sunday 24 October. Recorded at Leicester’s Curve theatre, the programme will include a religious ceremony performed by the Hindu Festival Council as well as entertainment from Nupur Arts, the Centre for Indian Classical Dance and Aakash Odedra. There will also be music from other local artists. A pre-recorded countdown – shown on all three screens – will herald the switch-on of Leicester’s famous Diwali lights at 6.30pm on Sunday 24 October. This year, the usual firework display will be replaced with a beautiful Fire Garden, lighting up CossingtonStreet recreation ground with hundreds of real candles and a dramatic flaming centrepiece. Visitors should also look out for a trio of fire performers from Helter Skelter Arts – and two giant puppets representing the Hindu god Hanuman and the demon king Ravana, engaged in the battle between good and evil. Cossington Street recreation ground will host a Diwali Village featuring food stalls and funfair rides from 3pm-9pm, while the spectacular Wheel of Light makes a welcome return to Belgrave Road – taking visitors for a spin from Friday 22 October until Sunday 7 November. Shops and restaurants along the Golden Mile will be ready to welcome visitors too – and this year there will be an added incentive for shoppers. A bumper package of £2,000-worth of prizes is up for grabs in a competition that’s part of a campaign to help the businesses in Belgrave bounce back from the pandemic. Supported by funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Diwali Big Shopcampaign will promote the attractions of the Golden Mile during the Diwali celebrations – and giveshoppers the chance to win some great prizes. Deputy city mayor for culture Cllr Piara Singh Clair said: “We were determined to do all we could to bring the Diwali celebrations back to the streets of Leicesterthis year, while making public safety our priority, so I’m delighted that we’ve been able to do so. “The new format of the event, using the three giant screens, means that people won’t need to congregate in the same space at the same time, as they have in previous years. “By running the programme three times, we hope wecan encourage people to join the celebrations at different times throughout the evening, without missing out on any of the fun. “It should be a fantastic evening and I’d like to wish everyone a very happy Diwali!” Belgrave Road will close to traffic at 5pm on Sunday 24 October for what will be the first of Leicester’s two Diwali celebrations. Diwali Day festivities on Thursday 4 November will also start with the closure of Belgrave Road at 5pm, followed by the showing of the cultural programme on the big screens at 5.30pm, 6.30pm and 7.30pm. The Fire Garden and Diwali Village will both return for Diwali Day, while a colourful Global Rainbow will light up the night sky above Cossington Street recreation ground until Friday 5 November. Leicester's Diwali celebrations are generously supported by the University of Leicester. Professor Nishan Canagarajah, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester, said: "We’re hugely proud to sponsor this year's Diwali celebrations as we mark the University’s Centenary year. “The diversity of culture in our city has been a part of the University’s story from the very beginning and, knowing the importance of the vast Diwali celebrations to the people of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, this is another opportunity for us to give thanks to the people who have supported our institution in its first 100 years. “We look forward to joining the festivities at what promises to once again be an auspicious occasion.” More information about Diwali in Leicester, and about the Diwali Big Shop competition, can be found at visitleicester.info/Diwali The history of Leicester’s Diwali celebrations is outlined on the city council’s Story of Leicesterwebsite. Find out more at www.storyofleicester.info/faith-belief/diwali-in-leicester/

Be dazzled by Leicester's biggest bonfire & firework display at the city's official celebration. Event Date Saturday 6th November 2021 Gates open at 5pm. The lighting of the bonfire and main display is always a spectacular sight – with a quieter fireworks show perfect for the younger audience. Watch the skies light up at this annual family event, with a programme of live entertainment, funfair and plenty of warming food stalls. Advance Tickets Only: Early bird discount: Adult £8 Group ticket £20 (up to four people) Concessions and under 16’s £6 On the day: (No cash payments) Adults £10 Group ticket £28 (up to four people) Concessions and under 16’s £7 Children under 4 free Tickets available online from De Montfort Hall or in person at Visit Leicester Information Centre Tickets will be limited and there will be no cash sales at the gate on the evening. Free bike parks on site. For information on public transport telephone Travel Line on 0871 200 2233. For walking/cycling routes and car shares visit choosehowyoumove.co.uk No parking in Abbey Park, Abbey Park Road, St Margaret’s Pastures car park or the surrounding areas. Abbey Park is a short walk from the city centre so please follow directions for city centre car parks. Click Here to take a look at our Arrival & Access map. To make this a safer event members of the public will not be allowed on the park with fireworks, sparklers, alcohol or dogs (except assistance dogs). Photographs will be taken of the event, including members of the public, for use in future marketing material

Leicester is getting ready to celebrate the festival of Diwali – and it all starts next Sunday (24 October). After 2020’s virtual celebrations, the city council will take the festivities back on to the streets of Belgrave this year, but with a new approach that will reduce the need for people to congregate in one place at the same time. In a change to previous years, the stage usually sited near the Belgrave roundabout will be replaced with a giant screen. A second giant screen will go up near Belgrave Road’s junction with Wand Street, with a third screen installed on Cossington Street recreation ground. Each of the three screens will show a pre-recorded, cultural programme that will run three times throughout the evening – starting at 5.30pm on Sunday 24 October. Recorded at Leicester’s Curve theatre, the programme will include a religious ceremony performed by the Hindu Festival Council as well as entertainment from Nupur Arts, the Centre for Indian Classical Dance and Aakash Odedra. There will also be music from other local artists. A pre-recorded countdown – shown on all three screens – will herald the switch-on of Leicester’s famous Diwali lights at 6.30pm on Sunday 24 October. This year, the usual firework display will be replaced with a beautiful Fire Garden, lighting up Cossington Street recreation ground with hundreds of real candles and a dramatic flaming centrepiece. Visitors should also look out for a trio of fire performers from Helter Skelter Arts – and two giant puppets representing the Hindu god Hanuman and the demon king Ravana, engaged in the battle between good and evil. Cossington Street recreation ground will host a Diwali Village featuring food stalls and funfair rides from 3pm-9pm, while the spectacular Wheel of Light makes a welcome return to Belgrave Road – taking visitors for a spin from Friday 22 October until Sunday 7 November. Shops and restaurants along the Golden Mile will be ready to welcome visitors too – and this year there will be an added incentive for shoppers. A bumper package of £2,000-worth of prizes is up for grabs in a competition that’s part of a campaign to help the businesses in Belgrave bounce back from the pandemic. Supported by funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Diwali Big Shop campaign will promote the attractions of the Golden Mile during the Diwali celebrations – and give shoppers the chance to win some great prizes. Deputy city mayor for culture Cllr Piara Singh Clair said: “We were determined to do all we could to bring the Diwali celebrations back to the streets of Leicester this year, while making public safety our priority, so I’m delighted that we’ve been able to do so. “The new format of the event, using the three giant screens, means that people won’t need to congregate in the same space at the same time, as they have in previous years. “By running the programme three times, we hope we can encourage people to join the celebrations at different times throughout the evening, without missing out on any of the fun. “It should be a fantastic evening and I’d like to wish everyone a very happy Diwali!” Belgrave Road will close to traffic at 5pm on Sunday 24 October for what will be the first of Leicester’s two Diwali celebrations. Diwali Day festivities on Thursday 4 November will also start with the closure of Belgrave Road at 5pm, followed by the showing of the cultural programme on the big screens at 5.30pm, 6.30pm and 7.30pm. The Fire Garden and Diwali Village will both return for Diwali Day, while a colourful Global Rainbow will light up the night sky above Cossington Street recreation ground until Friday 5 November. Leicester's Diwali celebrations are generously supported by the University of Leicester. Professor Nishan Canagarajah, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester, said: "We’re hugely proud to sponsor this year's Diwali celebrations as we mark the University’s Centenary year. “The diversity of culture in our city has been a part of the University’s story from the very beginning and, knowing the importance of the vast Diwali celebrations to the people of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, this is another opportunity for us to give thanks to the people who have supported our institution in its first 100 years. “We look forward to joining the festivities at what promises to once again be an auspicious occasion.” More information about Diwali in Leicester, and about the Diwali Big Shop competition, can be found at visitleicester.info/Diwali The history of Leicester’s Diwali celebrations is outlined on the city council’s Story of Leicester

Tonight representatives of EMCYP. received the award crystal and certificate from Michael Kapur OBE Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire. Eyres Monsell Club for Young People, a group of volunteers based in Eyres Monsell, Leicester, have been honoured with The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK. Eyres Monsell Club for Young People is a registered charity youth organisation, providing informal education for young people since 1961. Due to the pandemic the centre had to take the unprecedented decision to close its youth club sessions. However, this didn’t stop the team from supporting their community. Overnight they turned their centre into an emergency foodbank, offering food parcels to the most vulnerable, and to date have provided just over 10,000 parcels. The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by volunteer groups to benefit their local communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate The Queen’s Golden Jubilee. Recipients are announced each year on 2nd June, the anniversary of The Queen’s Coronation. Louise Wylie, Centre Manager says: “ It is truly an honour to have received such a prestigious award to recognise our work throughout the pandemic. Everyday we are amazed at the sheer commitment and enthusiasm of our volunteers, this award is dedicated to each and every one of them!.”

Today Leicestershire Fire and rescue service community safety teams have been giving out advice on the importance of installing carbon monoxide detectors, in the Melbourne Road area of Leicester. Carbon Monoxide is a highly poisonous gas that has no smell, colour or taste. Any appliance that burns oil, solid fuel, wood or gas, including boilers, if they are not properly installed and maintained, can release it. Do not ignore these symptoms: Other people in your home or building are having similar symptoms. You’ve recently moved into your home. Symptoms disappear when you go out or go on holiday, but return when you come back. Symptoms tend to be seasonal e.g. headaches during the winter when the central heating is used more often. Sooting or staining on or around the appliance. Excessive condensation in the room where the appliance is installed. Lazy yellow/orange coloured gas flames on cookers or boilers, rather than a sharp blue one. How can I protect myself? 1. All boilers and fuel-burning appliances MUST be serviced annually using a qualified engineer registered with the appropriate organisation. 2. You can buy detectors and alarms which measure the CO at home and warn you if it’s too high. You can also get portable, battery-powered ones to use if you go camping, caravanning and travelling. What should I do if affected? Open doors and windows for ventilation and go outside into the fresh air. Go to your GP or nearest Accident and Emergency department. If it is urgent, call 999 for an ambulance. If you smell gas, ring the National Gas emergency number: 0800 111 999 For more and details on a free home safety check visit. https://leics-fire.gov.uk/your-safety/ #LFRS #Carbonmonoxide

Saturday (9 October) saw the start of a national week-long campaign to raise awareness of hate crimes and how they can be reported. Leicestershire Police have supported National Hate Crime Awareness Week (NHCAW) for the last nine years. It was set up to mark the tenth anniversary of the 1999 nail bomb attacks in London. The aim of the week is to raise awareness of the work that takes place on a daily basis by local authorities such as the police and councils who work alongside key partners and communities to tackle local issues and encourage all forms of hate crime to be challenged. There will be a week of activity taking place including engagement with local schools who will be running assemblies and awareness sessions run by local officers and the forces Hate Crime Officer, Isla Dixon. If your school would benefit from one of these sessions please contact Isla via isla.dixon@leicestershire.pnn.police.uk. Isla said: “Hate and discrimination divide communities and have far reaching and devastating consequences. “As a force we actively challenge negative behaviours towards disability, race, religion, sexual orientation and gender identity. “We work closely with partner agencies and communities to promote respect and unity.” Assistant Chief Constable Julia Debenham said: “Hate crime is not tolerated in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland and we would urge anyone affected by hate or discrimination, or anyone who witnesses this unacceptable behaviour taking place, to report incidents to us so that together we can “Say No To Hate” and work together to eliminate it. “Leicestershire Police is committed to challenging hate it in all its forms – being you is not a crime, being targeted for who you are is. “NHCAW enables us to promote the work we do throughout the year within our diverse communities and to put a spotlight onto hate crime in order to provide greater awareness and to provide confidence to our communities to report incidents to us.” Rupert Matthews, Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, said: “Hate crime, which is generally driven by ignorance or prejudice, is a particularly insidious form of crime. It can utterly blight the lives of people who are subjected to this type of behaviour. “Crimes motivated by hate are personal attacks that can leave victims, who may already have vulnerabilities, feeling powerless and reluctant to report the crime. Sadly, too many victims accept this abhorrent behaviour as par for the course. As a community we need to give people the confidence and the support so that they will not tolerate abuse and are willing to take positive action to bring those responsible to justice. “To overcome the problem, we need to tackle the root causes. To do this effectively the police, criminal justice agencies and the specialist third sector groups who have an in-depth understanding of the problems people face in dealing with Hate Crime, must work together. “For my part, I would like to urge anyone who is experiencing or witnesses a hate crime or hate incident to report it. Without this, there will be more victims and those responsible will go unchallenged.” There will also be a competition running to design a poster or write an essay about hate crime. Local secondary school pupils have been asked to design a poster or write a poem around the theme of ‘Say No to Hate’ and focussing on creating inclusive societies. The top five entries will win a prize and all submissions will be made into a commemorative booklet which will be sent to participating schools. Hate incidents or hate crimes can be reported to Leicestershire Police on 101 or in an emergency please call 999. You can also report to your local council or anonymously via the Stamp it Out website: http://www.stamp-it-out.co.uk You can follow the events of National Hate Crime Awareness week on Twitter using hashtag #NationalHCAW or follow @LPStaySafe.