Just recently, the Mayor of Newham, Sir Robin Wales, spoke about the need to stand up and be counted in a world where anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, racism and bigotry seem to be on the rise.
This is an incredibly important message in a borough that is the most diverse in the country, including over 100,000 Muslims.
We also know that sport and physical activity are great ways to bring people and communities together.
That’s why we run five of the best leisure and fitness facilities in London including the new Atherton Leisure Centre and the Manor Park Health and Fitness Centre. All fully accessible and serving their local communities by running a wide variety of programmes including women-only sessions and free swimming for the under-16s and over-60s.
That’s why we run one of the largest and most varied community sports programmes in the country, most of which is free of charge. Not just football, rugby, cricket and loads of other sports but innovative programmes like Every Child a Sportsperson and the Us Girls programme.
That’s why we activate our 22 parks and 40 open spaces with the Park Lives programme including family activities and community gardening projects as well sport and fitness sessions. And don’t forget the seven-acre nature reserve in East Ham – one of the hidden gems of Newham.
That’s why we run one of the most highly regarded volunteering programmes in the country. All our volunteers receive top-class training and make an invaluable contribution to life in the borough.
Sport has always played an important role in this.
As stated at the United Nations:
“There is no place for racism and intolerance in sport. Sport is meant to foster social cohesion, bring different cultures together in a celebration of healthy competition, and to overcome the diffidence and even contempt that all too often divide countries and communities in the political and social arenas."
Newham is built on fairness, trust, reciprocity and solidarity. People and communities are treated equally and show tolerance towards one another. That is why Newham Council and its partners work tirelessly to promote events and programmes that bring people together rather than isolate and divide them.
activeNewham is proud to be part of this.
