Merseyside Police Authority has awarded £5,000 to an action group to assist their work tackling hate crime.
Homotopia’s "Project Triangle" works with young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to develop projects and resources promoting equality and diversity and challenging hate crime.
The police authority - a 17-strong public body made up of councillors from all five Merseyside councils as well as individuals from the community - presented Homotopia with the £5,000 to purchase film production and editing equipment.
Using this, the group has produced a new film: "Sex, Drags and Rock N Roll", which premiered at the Unity Theatre as part of the Homotopia festival.
The film has already been selected for the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival and will feature in a Merseyside-wide youth hate crime conference being organised for February.
Bev Ayre, who manages the project, said the MPA cash: "has vastly increased our ability to work with young people and spread an anti-hate message locally, across the country and internationally.
"We are so grateful to Merseyside Police Authority for their continued support of our work tackling hate crime."
He said MPA's support means more than 20,000 young people across Merseyside have accessed diversity and equality resources.
In 2009, the police authority funded a trip for 12 young people from Project Triangle to visit Auschwitz and Warsaw to raise awareness of hate crime and increase people’s confidence in reporting it.
Following the visit, Project Triangle produced a hate crime education resource pack which has been endorsed by Sir Ian McKellen, the NUT and Merseyside Police Chief Constable John Murphy.
Those involved in the project will be visiting the authority on Thursday to talk to members about how the money is being spent.
For more information on how you can apply for a grant through the authority’s Police Property Acts Fund, click the first link below...
Wirral Globe
