'Lifeline' for women from minority faith groups

A Lancashire community project helping women and girls feel safer in parks is a "brilliant, safe environment", participants say.

The SAS Rights She Connects Safer Parks Project is a 14-week programme which aims to support women and girls from minority faith communities through activities, wellbeing sessions and workshops.

Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw awarded the Blackburn project £5,000 through the Commissioner's Community Fund, which puts money seized from criminals back into the community.

Director Saima Afzal MBE said: "We just want to be able to meet people, break down barriers, use a public space, and feel safe in that space."

Afzal said the group runs cycling sessions, zumba, bhangra dancing and boxing, alongside conversational sessions in parks and community centres around Blackburn.

Outreach sessions found that many women from minority communities felt unsafe going to parks, Afzal said.

"They fear that their headscarf or their clothing might be targeted," she said.

"But they can come here, they can have fun, as there's a group of us, so if they need help, there's somewhere to go."

The project is largely led by female volunteers, including Aliyah Mirza, who described the group as a "safety net" for many women.

"It gets women out of the house who wouldn't have any other opportunity in any other environment," she said.

"It brings us all together, from any background, any age, any cultural differences. We're all here."

One of the women benefiting from the project is Zahida, who attends the group's cycling sessions with her 19-year-old daughter Zara, who has special needs.

Zahida said she was looking for a safe community group which she could participate in after they moved to the area from Birmingham.

"It's such a brilliant place to bring her. It's a safe environment for vulnerable children," Zahida said.

"She's loving it, she feels like she's part of a community.

"She's able to socialise, she's got loads of friends. For her mental health it's just brilliant."

Other participants have also been learning to cycle through the project, with Shahida having never been on a bike before.

"I was a bit scared but it's been brilliant, I love it," she said.

"All these years we've been busy bringing up a families, doing the housework, going to work, we've never managed to actually do something for ourselves and for our own health, so something like this is really good."

And for Halima Jogee, cycling became a welcome activity after she lost her mother three years ago.

"During that time, I thought I need to go out, try a new hobby if I can and I knew I liked cycling and Saima suggested we've got a group if you want to start and that's how it all began.

"It's given me a lot of joy, it's given me my freedom back, and it's given me confidence."

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