Distinctly positive

BREAKING boundaries . . . holding the award (front, from left) Vanessa Pavlovsky, Madison Furbey and Rebecca Pavlovsky with fellow residents from Limeside and Clarkwell

A FRIENDSHIP drive aimed at bringing neighbours from different cultures together is celebrating after winning a prestigious national gong.

The Limeside and Clarkwell Linking project was created to unite residents of all ages living in two culturally different estates.

The scheme, run by Contour Homes and First Choice Homes Oldham, beat over 230 entries from across the UK to scoop the Awards for Bridging Cultures (ABC) community cohesion accolade.

Clarkwell is 90 per cent Bangladeshi while Limeside is 90 per cent white English. But meetings between the two communities created friendships and support between householders.

Activities included the Clarkwell group’s community fun day which the Limeside group supported and attended.

And the Limeside group ran a community festival in which the Clarkwell group sold traditional dishes and raised money for the community group.

Young people from both areas took part in a cultural awareness team-building event at the Castleshaw centre, which included climbing, orienteering and puzzle solving and discussions.

Sayful Alam, equalities and community cohesion officer for First Choice Homes Oldham, said: “We have helped these two distinctive groups to come together to share and respect each other’s cultures and views.”

Other schemes recognised in the awards included the Mirrors of Extremism project in Manchester which gets young people at risk of radicalisation together to defuse the situation.

Shanine Meadowcroft, Community Development Officer for Contour Homes, said: “Both the adults and younger people have found that, despite living in different areas, they both suffer from similar problems and that has helped them to build bridges and be more open-minded about other cultures.”

For more information visit www.bridgingcultures.org.uk.