Liverpool Lord Mayor Anna Rothery Appointed Visiting Fellow of Hope University

THE Lord Mayor of Liverpool Anna Rothery has been appointed as a Visiting Fellow of Liverpool Hope University, a position that recognises her long standing commitment to the institution.  The Lord Mayor, Councillor for Princes Park, has become a Visiting Fellow of the School of Social Sciences. She'll also work closely with the University's Business School and also with Teacher Education.

And the appointment comes after Cllr Rothery spearheaded a unique collaboration between Hope and Liverpool City Council in the form of the Black Access to Social Work programme; an extension of the University's Social Work degree offering whereby 15 extra places have been created exclusively for students from diverse communities and Global Majority Groups.

Speaking of her new role, Cllr Rothery said:- "It's an absolute honour and privilege to become a Visiting Fellow of the School of Social Sciences at Hope. The work that I have done with them up to this point shows that they have a real commitment, not only to the education of people of colour, but also to their economic equality. I am looking forward to continuing the work that we've started in order to challenge the racial disparities which exist. It takes much more than policy, research and reports. I am really proud to say we have a united vision of implementation via solution based practise. By committing to the end-to-end model not only we will be able to support people educationally, it will also ensure sustainable employment for people from our diverse communities."

In September 2019, Cllr Rothery became the 1st Black Lord Mayor in the history of the City of Liverpool and has been the mayoral lead on equality and race equality since 2018. She was reappointed to the role of Lord Mayor in May of last year, making history as the 1st person to be appointed for 2 consecutive years in the Lord Mayor's history. And in 2012, Cllr Rothery also became the 1st Liverpool Councillor to address the United Nations, where she spoke on religious, linguistic and minority rights at a prestigious summit in Geneva, Switzerland. Professor Michael Lavalette is Head of Hope's School of Social Sciences and has been working closely with Cllr Rothery to launch the Black Access to Social Work pilot, with the 1st group of students commencing their studies this September.

He said:- "We're delighted to appoint Cllr Rothery as a Visiting Fellow. And the fellowship itself not only cements a long-standing relationship between Anna and the University but also strengthens our ties with Liverpool City Council. Cllr Rothery has been instrumental in the launch of our Black Access to Social Work initiative, having 1st approached the University with this unique and important idea. She's passionate about ensuring that more individuals from diverse backgrounds take up roles in Social Work within Merseyside and she'll have a hands on role in the implementation of that programme in the months and years ahead. Meanwhile she also brings a wealth of professional and educational experience to Hope, which will only benefit our students."

Earlier this year Cllr Rothery took part in a special webinar debate to mark International Women's Day, where she and Paula Barker, Labour MP for Liverpool Wavertree and Lindsey German, Convenor of the anti war organisation Stop the War Coalition, discussed:- 'Women's Oppression Today.'  Meanwhile, March 2020 also saw Cllr Rothery speaking at the Liverpool Sport and Physical Activity Awards event, which was hosted at Hope.

Professor Gerald Pillay, Vice Chancellor and Rector of Liverpool Hope University, said of Cllr Rothery's appointment:- "Cllr Rothery has a deep commitment to race equality and social justice, which she has clearly demonstrated through her collaboration with the University in the launch of our new Black Access to Social Work; a Route Into the Profession for Diverse Communities undergraduate programme. She has also spent the last 30 years working with local industry on important business and community development initiatives. We are proud to welcome her into the Hope community and we are sure she will be an excellent role model and mentor for our students."
 

CO-OP Funeralcare in Formby, along with Formby and Ainsdale Co-op food stores and 7 funeral homes across the Southport Region, embarked on a 12km sunrise walk, on Sunday, 23 May 2021, to raise awareness for mental health charity, MIND.

The walk, organised by Formby Funeralcare colleagues Sarah Leader, Ragan Gally and Deborah Hall, was joined by 20 other Co-op colleagues with friends and family. Setting off at 4:30am, on Ainsdale beach, the group completed a loop walk along the sandy shores that led back to the finish at the Co-op in Ainsdale. The team will continue to collect donations over the next 2 weeks until Friday, 4 June 2021, aiming to raise a total of ₤1,000 to help support the important work that MIND carry out across the country.

Funeral Arranger, Sarah Leader, said:- "At Co-op Funeralcare, we are very proud to support MIND in their work to provide advice and support to anyone experiencing a mental health problem. The sunrise is a beautiful metaphor for coming out of a dark place, mentally, and gaining a positive outlook. It was wonderful to all come together, as lockdown restrictions have eased, to raise awareness and funds for this great charity. The walk displayed Co-op's team spirit and togetherness during these turbulent times and symbolised the start of a new day. Even though it was a challenging walk in parts, it was well worth it to experience a beautiful sunrise together while raising funds for our charity partner. Thank you to all those who joined!"

To show their support for MIND, colleagues at nearby Co-op Funeralcare Kirkby took part in a sponsored static cycle on 14 May 2021, raising a total of ₤700 for the charity. The team, who are based at Newtown Gardens, cycled 100km, which formed part of the activity taking place across the UK to highlight Mental Health Awareness Week. The local community in Kirkby came out to support the fundraising event and were greeted by Disney duo, Minnie and Mickey Mouse, who were collecting donations.

Recent research released by Co-op Funeralcare and YouGov last week has highlighted that the Pandemic has changed the nation's attitude towards grief and death, as the tragic events of the past year have made 22% of UK adults feel more comfortable in talking about grief and encouraged 54% to think about their own mortality.

Although grief isn't a mental health problem, experiencing a bereavement can have a significant impact on individuals mental health. Sadly, 28% of those who lost a loved 1 unexpectedly said the unforeseen nature of the loss had a negative impact on their mental health.

Before the second UK lockdown, 77% of UK adults felt they had enough support around them from their friends and family if further lockdown measures were announced. However, just 66% felt they had the right amount of support during the third UK lockdown, with 48% stating they found the third lockdown worse than any of the other previous UK lockdowns.

Sam Tyrer, Managing Director of Co-op Funeralcare, said:- "It's important that we take time to reflect on the devastating impact the tragic events of the past year have had on the nation. Communities have experienced loss on a previously unimaginable scale, so it is crucial for us to ensure adequate support is available as society begins to enter a new normality."

Since October 2019, Co-op has partnered with mental health charities, MIND and SAMH, the Scottish Association for Mental Health and inspire to bring communities together to improve mental wellbeing. In that time, Co-op's colleagues, members and customers have fundraised over ₤4.5million to support new mental wellbeing services across the UK, all whilst raising awareness and starting the conversation around the importance of mental wellbeing.