A service in Saint Peters

On Sunday I attended the fourth annual service of celebration for those who work in around the administration of justice which was open to the general public, attended by Her Majesty’s Judges and by Black Country Magistrates at Saint Peter’s Church. During the service we listened to a presentation by the Reverend Richard Moy, who is a pioneer Minister for young adults.

He specifically spoke about the roles of street pastors who get to know people in the community, particularly the young and those who have found themselves to be marginalised or disenfranchised. The role of a street pastor was one of not preaching but of caring, listening and helping to ease tension and create a positive environment. In Wolverhampton this involved providing enthusiastic but dehydrated revellers with water, putting young people in taxis to make sure that they got home safely and diffusing situations which could have resulted in violence.

Nationally the focus has been on gun crime and knife crime.  In London the effect of the street pastors presence has been extremely positive. In Lewisham the result was a 30% reduction in street crime within 13 weeks, a 95% reduction in Camberwell and a 74% reduction in Peckham. The five core values required from Pastors are the sanctity of human life, valuing and honouring the community, integrity, personal responsibility and the growth and development of the individual to their fullest potential.  These values are intrinsic to traditional culture, almost old fashioned, but sadly often lacking in contemporary society. David Cameron has spoken about the need to strengthen community and the family and it with these core values (traditional values) will we be able to face the challenges of a modern Britain.

Paul

Wolves in the Community

Yesterday I was at Molineux and met with Jeremy Hunt ( Shadow Secretary of state for culture, Media & Sport) and Will Clowes (Assistant Community Manger) and Paul Ireland who is working towards gaining a NVQ qualification in football coaching to discuss the dusk, twilight and midnight league. The league is a social action inclusion project, designed to provide a free, fun and friendly environment for boys, girls, teenagers and young men and women to participate in football related activities and educational workshops relating to drug awareness, personal health and hygiene and the dangers of alcohol abuse. The project also offers participants with somewhere fun and inviting to go and with something positive and constructive to do with their spare time.

The principal aims of the project are to educate children and young people by developing their physical, mental, social and moral capabilities through participation in organised recreational activities. From this will follow good citizenship and a growth in maturity, both as individuals and as members of society.  Specifically the project also aims to assist young people, particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds to increase their educational attainments and raise personal aspiration, which is something that Paul felt he had particularly benefited from.  I know I’m in a bit of a sport mode at the moment but this initiative is just full of positive action.

Paul

Sporting achievements

Recently I met with Peter Holmes from Sport England to discuss ways to promote sport in the city and increase levels of sporting participation.

Wolverhampton boasts a magnificent sporting heritage with three Olympic gold medalists from Kenneth Hunt in 1908 up to Tessa Sanderson in 1984 and Denise Lewis in 2000. We have also had eight Commonwealth Games Gold Medalists with fifteen medals in total (Kathy Cook in particular was an inspiration for me as a young sprinter). Within the city itself we possess over sixteen sporting clubs and bodies which have over a hundred years of sporting history from Wolverhampton Cricket club (established in 1835) to Penn Cricket club and Penn golf club (established in 1908). 

As some of you may know sport is something that I hold close to my heart, and I feel is invaluable in bringing communities together. Equally the pursuit of sporting perfection and excellence in all fields be they academic or in the arts should always be fostered. I passionately believe that competition and the pursuit of excellence should be instilled in our children at an early age. The fear of failure or the inability applaud others who succeed is causing many of our schools to pursue the route of noncompetitive sports. Drive, ambition and the will to win should not be shunned and stifled, for they alone are the engine of a progressive society and vital for individual human fulfillment.

Paul