One Vision Housing celebrate diversity

Tai Chi, Reiki treatments and belly dancing were some of the treats enjoyed by tenants during an Equality and Diversity Seminar organised by One Vision Housing this month.

The Sefton based housing association held the ‘One Vision – One World’ event on 6th November at Firwood Cricket Club, to celebrate the rich cultural diversity found within the region and to showcase a range of customs and traditions from across the world, including dancing, holistic therapies and food.

One of the most important elements of the day were a series of workshops that explored a range of issues affecting different cultural groups in Sefton - including hate crime, sexuality, gender, disability and health and housing amongst others.

A number of informative talks such as ‘the history of Liverpool’s Chinese community’ were also keenly attended.

The informal workshops were hosted and supported by several local organisations, including Sefton Equalities Partnership, Armistead, New Directions, Sefton CVS, Connaught, Kier, Tribal, the SWAN Centre, Sefton OPERA, Merseyside Police and Age Concern.

The event culminated with an international themed buffet which included foods from across the globe, accompanied by entertainment and dancers who performed Caribbean, Irish, African and Arabic dances.

Lyn Bowker, equalities officer for One Vision Housing said: “The seminar was really well received. Although it was planned as a learning event for residents to learn about equality and diversity issues, it was also a fun event, as we believe learning should be enjoyable.”