Category Archives: Regional news and events

Morton Hall Noise Demo this Saturday – 23rd July 2011

Posted on by
Reply

This Saturday (23rd July) there will be a noise demo outside Morton Hall Immigration Removal Centre in Lincolnshire to express our disgust and anger against the opening of another new detention centre. We’ll be bringing a sound system, pots and pans and we encourage others to do the same.

We will meet at Nottingham train station at 10am to catch the train arriving at Swinderby at 11.10. The detention centre is 10 minutes walk from the station. If people are coming from elsewhere, we suggest meeting at the detention centre at 11.30. The address is Morton Hall IRC, Swinderby, Lincolnshire, LN6 9PT. We encourage as many people to get themselves down there with banners, placards and noise making materials.

Morton Hall detention centre was formally opened by immigration minister Damien Green on 1st June. The centre holds single men and has 393 bed spaces, there are already men imprisoned inside, and ongoing refurbishment work means that detainees will arrive in stages until the centre is finished in September. This is a chance for us to show solidarity with those imprisoned and to let them know that there are people who oppose the way in which they have been treated by the UK Border Agency.

Beyond Borders – Nottingham’s refugee week publication – help with distribution June 2011

Posted on by
Reply

Each year Beyond Borders, Nottingham’s Refugee Week coordinating group, creates a newspaper based on the theme of refuge and migration. The aim of the paper is to increase public understanding of issues relating to this topic and to highlight the positive contributions that refugees make to the economic and cultural life of the city.

The paper is very professionally produced and contains a varied selection of articles, some of them informative, some thought provoking, others moving and others entertaining. A copy of last year’s paper can be found here: http://en.calameo.com/read/0003033661f734f664a13.

15,000 copies will be published, and will be free for people to pick up and take home. We hope to reach a very broad audience, and are therefore requesting the help of groups and individuals to help us distribute the paper. We will be making it available in as many doctors’ surgeries, shops, hairdressers and churches as possible, however any additional assistance would be very much appreciated. If any groups have their own venues and are willing to display the paper please could they let us know and we will arrange for copies to be delivered. We can also arrange for copies to be made available at the Volunteer Centre.

Refugee Week 2011 will be 18th-25th June and will bring together a range of community events and activities, all of which will be listed in the paper. If anyone would like to get involved with distributing the Beyond Borders newspaper or helping with any other aspect of the festival please contact me, Juliet Line on 07903114248 or at juliet@culturebox.org

See also: Breaking Borders event – music, poetry, dance and more.

Protest on the day of Moreton Hall detention centre official opening – June 1st 2011

Posted on by
1

On Wednesday June 1st 2011 a noisy demonstration was held outside Morton Hall Immigration Removal Centre in Swinderby, Lincolnshire, expressing dismay, disgust and anger against the opening of another new detention centre. No Borders activists from Nottingham were joined by Campaign to Close Campsfield (Oxford).

Morton Hall was officially opened by immigration minister Damian Green. The centre, previously a prison, has space to hold single men with 393 bed spaces. There is ongoing refurbishment work at the centre, so detainees will arrive in stages until the centre is finished (due to complete in September).

Background:
http://ncadc.wordpress.com/2011/05/27/new-immigration-prison-official-opening-ceremony/
http://www.nobordersnottingham.org.uk/regional-news-and-events/new-detention-centre-announced-at-hmp-morton-hall-in-lincolnshire/

BREAKING BORDERS #3 – Saturday June 18th – Starting off Nottingham Refugee Week 2011

Posted on by
Reply

BREAKING BORDERS #3! Saturday June 18th. Launch of Refugee Week in Nottingham 2011!

In conjunction with Hyson Green Youth Club and New Art Exchange.

Come down for a spectacular evening of live music, dance, poetry, visual arts, information, international cuisine…and fun!

We will have an afternoon of FREE dance, music and arts workshops:

First at… New Art Exchange 2pm – 5pm including… Capoeira Brazilian Dance African Dance Drumming Scrap art
Then at… Hyson Green Youth Club 5.30pm – 7.30pm – Kurdish Dance African Storytelling Multi-cultural music

Then an evening of live performance…

BREAKING BORDERS 2011 8pm – 1am

Music

OGGA KATTALOG AND THE GENTLEMEN BANA – Afro-funk to get you dancing…
AISTAGUCA – Balkan Gypsy Wedding band
NGOMA – Zimbabwean sounds, Afro-pop fusion…
UNIQUE WORLD – International music collective feat. Sami Haque
LOUIS CYPHER – First Blood fam.
LOST PROPERTY – Local hip-hop collective
PETRICA BISTRAN – Acoustic Romanian sounds
BLACK FEATHER – Acoustic improvisations

Also live poetry from:

Takunda Chaurura Chingombe
Teodora Todorova
Petrica Bistran
Bessie Ndlovu

Dance…

Traditional Mongolian Dance – Gantuya and Khaliun

Also a range of international fresh cooked food will be on sale

There will also be art displays by local / international artists, information stalls, open mic, bar and other exciting things…

Come down!

Suggested donation: £2 (unwaged) / £3 (low-waged / students) / £5 (waged)

ALL EVENTS ARE FREE TO REFUGEES AND ASYLUM-SEEKERS

English for speakers of other languages ‘Defend ESOL’ rally in Nottingham – report and photos

Posted on by
Reply

Cartoon picture of people on a globe speaking different languages - ESOL campaignAt 3.30pm on Thursday 24th March 2011 staff and students of courses for ‘English for speakers of other languages’ gathered in the Old Market Square, Nottingham for a protest rally against the cutting of ESOL funding, along with many supporters including those in the University and College Unions who were on strike the same day.

Full story and photos: http://nottingham.indymedia.org.uk/articles/1074
Petition and more information about the campaign: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/defend-esol.html
See also, Notts Save Our Services articles on education cuts: http://nottssos.org.uk/tag/education/

Small World Cafe/Cinema is back Wednesdays at the Square Centre, Nottingham from 30th March 2011

Posted on by
Reply

SMALL WORLD CAFE are back at the Square Centre, Alfred Street North starting with,
Lebanese Night
Wednesday, March 30th
Doors open at 7.00pm with the film “West Beirut” at 8pm. Light refreshments and snacks available for donations.
Location: The Square Centre
More info: http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=157682374287895

Small World Cafe Mongolian Night
Thursday, April 21th
Join members of the Nottingham Mongolian community for a Small World Cafe night, doors open at 6.30 pm, film “cafe of the yellow dog” at 8.30pm. Refreshments and snacks available for donations.
Location: The Square Centre
More info: http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=187352707972968

Small World Cafe Kurdish Film Night
Thursday, April 14th at 7:00pm, film at 8pm. Refreshments and snacks available for donations.
Film title: Welcome
Location: The Square Centre
More info: http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=206329959383271

Miriam Hollis

Posted on by
1

Many people involved in No Borders and anti-deportation activities will already know about the passing away of Miriam Hollis in her sleep just after midnight on Saturday 26th February 2011. Miriam coordinated the Sankofa Foundation and in her professional capacity counselled survivors of war and torture. She was also involved with the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns and gave support to many asylum seekers and refugees in Nottingham and Notts and elsewhere.

The family has decided to have a small and private funeral. They however would like to invite everyone to Miriam’s wake which is going to be held on Thursday 3rd of March from 6.30pm onwards at:

The Polish Eagle Club
2 Sherwood Rise
Nottingham
NG7 6JN

Tel: 0115 962 4859

Everyone is welcome. We’ll there until 11pm (maybe later). It was Miriam’s wish that people brought some food and ate together so please feel free to bring what you can (vegetarian food only please – daughter’s request)

There will be a commemoration book for people to leave messages and a mic for people to share memories and stories.

I look forward to seeing you on thursday so we can all pay tribute to the very special woman Miriam was. Gone but never forgotten. Always loved & always in our hearts.

‘New’ detention centre announced at HMP Morton Hall in Lincolnshire

Posted on by
Reply

Of the three prisons that the government have just announced that they will be closing over the next few months, HMP Morton Hall on the Notts/Lincolnshire border will now be re-roled as a detention centre. A closed adult female prison with 329 places, it has already been in use as a specialist centre for Foreign National Prisoners for a couple of years, and will now be handed over to the UK Borders Agency. This should bring the number of UK detention places up to something like 2900 places.

Source: http://www.justice.gov.uk/news/newsrelease130111a.htm

Background: http://nobordersbrighton.blogspot.com/2010/02/hmp-morton-hall-to-become-irc.html

See also:
http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/news/Children-time-visit-prison-mums/article-1262383-detail/article.html

No Borders Nottingham aims to hightlight the continued use of Morton Hall as a place of detention. We aim to organise a workshop / roadshow around the issue of Morton Hall and how to support people detained there. The last Government dropped the idea of using it as a detention centre and an earlier workshop / roadshow was put on hold. For details about this, please watch this space.

Defend ESOL (English for speakers of other languages)

Posted on by
Reply

A meeting was held on 8th Dec with UCU (Universities and Colleges Union) and NNRF (Nottingham and Notts Refugee Forum) about a cut to funding for ESOL (English for speakers of other languages).

The government’s proposals for changing ESOL funding next academic year pose an extremely serious threat. They radically restrict the rights of many non-English speakers to publicly funded classes, and threaten the jobs of ESOL teachers. In their new strategy for FE, the government will restrict access to public funding to students from ‘settled communities’.

Only those students ‘actively seeking work’ and receiving JSA or the new ESA (Employment and Support Allowance) would be eligible for full fee remission. Others would be subject to so-called ‘co-funding’, which in all likelihood means an increase in course fees, including for those in low-paid jobs and on Working Tax Credit or housing benefit. In addition, asylum seekers and students on Section 4 support would no longer be eligible for publicly funded language classes.

This attack on ESOL funding would undermine integration, progression and access to decent employment. It could push provision back into the margins of voluntary teaching and under-resourced community classes.

UCU and the Refugee Forum are jointly organising meetings for teachers, students and others to discuss what action we can take to defend ESOL.

More information:

See IRR: Coalition announces cuts in ESOL funding
http://www.irr.org.uk/2010/december/ha000017.html
See NATECLA letter to the TES –
A national organising meeting has been convened by the lecturers’ union, UCU, with NATECLA, the Refugee Council and individual ESOL teachers / researchers. This will be on January 12th 4.00pm at the UCU London Office,
http://www.natecla.org.uk/uploads/documents/doc_3205.pdf

Contact – Notts Save Our Services Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=129772307075242

Ex Libris – booksale in Carlton supporting NNRF Destitution Fund – 4th/5th Sept 2010

Posted on by
Reply

This is the fourth year a Secondhand charity booksale by ExLibris (The Masked Booksellers) taking place in Carlton, Nottingham on Saturday September 4th 12-7pm & Sunday September 5th 12-6pm.

ExLibris run charity fundraising events several times a year. You may have seen them at the Green Festival. This time it’s in aid of Nottingham charities:Nottingham & Notts Refugee Forum Destitution Fund (supporting destitute asylum seekers)& Hayward House Cancer Care.

Details and a flyer can be found on the Sparrows’ Nest site.