Agenda item

Holocaust memorial event – Monday 27 January event at the Guidlhall with various performances, arrival from 6pm.  Please support.  There was also a mid-day civic event in the Guildhall courtyard.

Lecture at Synagogue – need to log on Eventbrite – send to me to circulate – 2^nd February.

Carnival 13 June – there would be a Forum float hopefully with representation from each group. 

Knife Angel, the National Monument against aggression and violence, was coming to Northampton in June and would be sited on the All Saints Piazza.  There would be all sorts of opportunities for engagement.  Police week of action for knife crime was also during the first week of June. 

Chinese New Year event  at the Deco – 12 – 3pm on Sunday 26 January.

Palestinian students visiting Northampton with an evening meeting on 3 Feb with speeches – all welcome and free. 

Towns Women’s Guild were engaging with a local women’s refuge.  They would meet in there for coffee and knit, the residents come over and chat while they made things for the children.  Ladies that work in there are absolutely wonderful and take the flack of lack of funding.  Knitted them trauma teddy bears – get lots of things donated but everything was shared across county.  They needed children’s socks and trauma blankets.  They had also sold some teddy bears which helped raise money to buy the yarn to make more.

Festival of colours - 14  March from 5pm at Weston Favell Parish Hall – come in clothes you don’t mind getting ruined! Good fun.  Drop in and join in.  Family event and very good fun for children.

Chai and Chat ladies group was doing very well, a self-financing group that had started about 5 years ago.  They chose a charity every year to support and this year it was Alzhiemers.  There were a few  token male members who would come every now and then.  All women bring a dish so there was plenty to eat.  Love people to come and see.  Nicola Powell coming to speak (Veolia) on Friday.  Once a month adult learning classes – some kind of craft.  £2 to attend but you get a really nice lunch. Started walk and talk – with a walk in Abington Park on Monday – Thursday 10.30 – 11.30 meet by café.  This had started with just Mondays but had to expand due to its popularity.  Good success stories – one woman need inhaler after 1 loop – now doing 6 loops – tackling loneliness etc.  Need at least group of 2 and the walk kept to the area dogs had to be kept on leads.  Need to know if you are coming so they could look out for you.

Sikh Community had a youth social action project generally doing things to help people out such as litter picks and knitting so could so some socks for the refuge.

Rachel McGrath was co-ordinating a food poverty group.  BBC radio would be running a project around it asking people to get hold of MPs Cllrs etc to build up picture of Northampton.  Keep eye out to see how we can support.