Creative Communities Group honoured with SOLIDAR Silver Rose Award
A University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) community group has received an award from the European Union (EU) for its contributions to social justice.
The Creative Communities Group (CCG), which runs events throughout the year to raise awareness of important issues around discrimination and inspire people to get involved in the common good through visual and performing arts, has been handed a SOLIDAR Silver Rose Award.
The Group has won the Building Learning Societies - Education and Lifelong Learning category after being nominated by Professor Romesh Gupta OBE. The Silver Rose Awards are held annually in the European Parliament by SOLIDAR, a worldwide network of civil society organisations, in co-operation with the Socialists and Democrats group.
Professor Gupta said: “The CCG focuses on visual and performing arts, great stories and narratives to inspire others to ‘make a difference’ through lifelong learning. Members raise awareness of important issues and inspire others to get involved in the common good.
“The Group has been doing an amazing job over the years in connecting the University with our local community, helping us to build social capital and collaborative partnerships. Congratulations on the Silver Rose award.”
"The Group has been doing an amazing job over the years in connecting the University with our local community, helping us to build social capital and collaborative partnerships. Congratulations on the Silver Rose award."
— Professor Romesh Gupta OBE
The University’s CCG has been working with the community since it was set up by UCLan Honorary Fellow Russell Hogarth in 2012. Over the last eight years it has been involved with many events such as the annual Health Mela and crowdfunding project Preston Soup. Its flagship One Billion Rising event, which takes place every February, is part of a global movement that asks people to stand together in peaceful protest against violence towards women and girls.
Russell said: "I'm honoured and delighted that in the year when the UK leaves the European Parliament, the UCLan Creative Communities Group has been recognised by our EU partners for our contribution to lifelong learning and active citizenship with the EU SOLIDAR 2020 Silver Rose award.
“This is another great achievement for the CCG and I'd like to say thank you to all the members for their collective contribution to helping us to achieve this award. And a special thank you to Nigel Farnworth for managing the CCG for the last six years.”
"It was an honour to have the CCG not only as awardees in the ceremony, but also in our Members´ forum where we could get to know the amazing people behind this collective and their work"
— Mikael Leyi, SOLIDAR and SOLIDAR Foundation Secretary General
Mikael Leyi, SOLIDAR and SOLIDAR Foundation Secretary General, congratulated the Group. He said: "It was an honour to have the CCG not only as awardees in the ceremony, but also in our Members´ forum where we could get to know the amazing people behind this collective and their work.
“SOLIDAR & SOLIDAR Foundation believe education does not only belong to the formal setting; it has a place as one of the cornerstones of a democratic society and as such it also belongs to non-formal and informal education too. CCG epitomises the importance that lifelong learning and popular education have to deepen democracy and facilitate citizenship in its truest form."
The CCG network has over 300 national and international members, with representation across Europe, in Australia, Nigeria, Hong Kong, the Caribbean, the Ukraine, China, Canada and the USA. For more information, visit the CCG website.
