Grant from The National Lottery Community Fund to help publish two new Community Books
Posted on 21 Dec 2023
In late 2023, following receipt of a grant from The National Lottery Community Fund, Book of You began planning and working with 2 diverse community groups based within North East Wales. This followed discussions with North East Wales Community Cohesion (NEWCC) with whom we have worked closely over the last few years, having published two highly successful community books: our Syrian and Afghan book, and the recent Portuguese Ladies Group.
The first of the two groups is PALOPS United, a community group based in Wrexham. PALOPS stands for ‘Paises Africanos de Lingua Oficial Portuguesea’, which is Portuguese for ‘African Countries of Portuguese Official Language’. The group represents a large number of residents in Wrexham and North Wales and gives them the opportunity to come together to promote the development of their culture and education as well as the preservation of their African native languages. The group conduct a number of activities within the Wrexham area,such as dance, music, cuisine, culture and the arts and aim to create social cohesion between the African speakers and the wider community in North Wales. The book will offer a platform to showcase this.
The first two sessions have taken place and there will be a short break over the Christmas period, after which we will meet up again and hear the personal stories from around eight ladies whose contributions will form the basis of the book.
In late January, we will also start work on our second book, telling the story of the UK North East Wales Chinese Women’s Association 英国-威尔士东北部华人妇女会. Once again, we will begin with group sessions, but will then hear stories from smaller groups or individuals that will add a personal touch to the book.
Once complete and before the books are published on our website, we will hold celebration events to reveal the finished books to each of the groups and participants. We hope to be able to open these up as usual to members of the public, helping to foster understanding and connections within the community.
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