Rotherham's Arabic community bids to break down barriers

The event, at the Unity Centre in Rotherham, was organised by the borough council in association with the Rotherham Yemeni Community Association (RYCA).

It was part of One Town One Community initiative and included presentations by South Yorkshire Police, NHS Rotherham and South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue.

Cllr Mahroof Hussain, Cabinet member for community development and engagement, said: “The aim of this event was to enable the local Yemeni and Arabic speaking community to communicate directly about any issues that affect them, with a view to addressing these.

“The feedback from the community was very positive and the representatives from the NHS, police and fire service will be discussing the concerns raised with their organisations, as part of providing even better access to local services for this community.”

During the event, Ray Powell from South Yorkshire Police discussed stop and search and the reasons why it was necessary in some cases.

Representatives from the RYCA also took part in a series of workshops in which they were asked to raise any issues or concerns relating to healthcare, safety or access to other services.

Fakhary Saleh, chairman of the Rotherham Yemeni Community Association, said: “It is very important that the Arabic speaking community feels that their views are being heard and this event went a long way towards doing this.

“This event came about in response to the needs of this community who wanted to have the opportunity to speak directly to representatives from the three main emergency services.

“We will be planning many events of this type in the future that help people to feel part of the wider community, as well as providing practical assistance with accessing services and understanding their rights.”

The Rotherham Yemeni Community Association (RYCA) was founded in 1994 to meet the demands for social, health and educational needs of Yemenis and the Arabic speaking population.

The RYCA, based on Hatherley Road, provides support for people with English speaking classes, IT for children, cultural groups and services for young people, women and the elderly.

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