Over 50 members of the Yemeni and Arabic-speaking community attended a community engagement event held on Saturday 10 July at the Unity Centre in Rotherham.

The event, which was organised by the Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council in association with the Rotherham Yemeni Community Association (RYCA) as part of One Town One Community, included presentations by South Yorkshire Police, NHS Rotherham and South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue. 

Ray Powell from South Yorkshire Police discussed stop and search, the reasons why it is necessary in some cases and citizen’s rights.  Helen Wyatt from NHS Rotherham looked at access to GP and hospital services and the issues surrounding this, such as language barriers. Lesley Hayhurst from South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue discussed the importance of having a smoke alarm in the home and how a free fire safety check is available to anyone living within the Rotherham area. Representatives from the RYCA also took part in a series of workshops in which they were asked to raise any issues or concerns relating to healthcare, safety or access to other services.

“The aim of this event was to enable the local Yemeni and Arabic speaking community to communicate directly to providers of the three emergency services and the council about any issues that affect them, with a view to addressing these,” explains Cllr Mahroof Hussain, Cabinet Member for Community Development and Engagement.  “The feedback from the community was very positive and the representatives from the NHS, police and fire service will be discussing the concerns raised with their organisations, as part of providing even better access to local services for this community.”

'Fakhary Saleh, chairperson of the Rotherham Yemeni Community Association, explains: “It is very important that the Arabic speaking community feels that their views are being heard and this event went a long way towards doing this.  This event came about in response to the needs of this community who wanted to have the opportunity to speak directly to representatives from the three main emergency services. We will be planning many events of this type in the future that help people to feel part of the wider community, as well as providing practical assistance with accessing services and understanding their rights.”

The Rotherham Yemeni Community Association (RYCA) was founded in 1994 to meet the demands for social, health and educational needs of local Yemenis and the Arabic speaking population.  The RYCA, based on Hatherley Road, provides support for local people with English speaking classes, IT for children, cultural groups and services for young people, women and the elderly.