Letters to the Editor:- "New UK wide helpline and website for victims of hate"

"THE outbreak of Covid19 saw a dramatic increase and intensification in racist incidents directed towards East and Southeast Asian communities in the UK. Until now, there hasn't been a dedicated, culturally competent service to support them following such incidents and to accurately record the scale of the problem. But now that will change, with the launch of:- 'On Your Side,' a helpline and website offering specialist advisors and new reporting options to anyone from East or Southeast Asian communities who has experienced racism or any form of hate because of an aspect of their identity or perceived identity. Set up by a coalition of 15 national and community based groups with expertise in hate crime prevention and supporting East and Southeast Asian communities, it offers a nationwide 24/7 telephone helpline and website providing advice and support from trained staff. We know there are many barriers stopping people from reporting, but we are offering a safe, trauma informed service which they can access to talk and seek support. We can listen, advise and help. Furthermore, it will help build a more accurate understanding of the levels of racism and other forms of hate faced by East and Southeast Asian communities in the UK, giving policy makers, civil society and community groups insights to shape better prevention and justice approaches. Everyone deserves to feel safe, respected and supported. The service went live on:- 9 August 2022 and can be accessed at:- OnYourSideUK.Org or by calling free on:- 08088010393." Your sincerely:- Andrea Martinez, Director, Kanlungan Filipino Consortium; Andy Fearn, Co-Executive Director, Protection Approaches; Anna Yim, Chief Executive, Chinese Community Centre Birmingham; Hau-Yu Tam, Head of Campaigns, End Violence and Racism Against ESEA Communities; Jabez Lam, Centre Manager, Hackney Chinese Community Services; Kimi Jolly, Executive Director, East and Southeast Asian Scotland; Mariko Hayashi, Executive Director, Southeast and East Asian Centre; Nathan Law Kwun Chung, Chair, Hong Kong Umbrella Community; Quynh Nguyen, Chief Executive, Vietnamese Family Partnership; Rosa Hui, Chief Executive Officer, Chinese Community Wellbeing Society; Rose Simkins, Chief Executive, Stop Hate UK; Shirley Au-Yeung, Chief Executive, Chinese in Wales Association; Simon Cheng, Chair, Hongkongers in Britain; Circle Steele, Chief Executive Officer, Wai Yin Society

Liverpool SMEs to be offered affordable cybersecurity solutions through Siemens and Awen Collective collaboration

SIEMENS has partnered with cybersecurity software company Awen Collective to develop a new, accessible and affordable, managed OT security solution for SMEs. The project has secured major backing from a consortium of North West-based organisations including the University of Manchester, the University of Salford, the North West Cyber Resilience Centre, BRIM and IN4.0 Group, who will support the project as it rolls out in the Region, before looking to expand across the rest of the UK. The collaboration will allow Liverpool businesses to buy into a managed security solution, protecting any networked, internet-connected technology starting from £10,000. Ordinarily, setting up and maintaining a security operations Centre can cost a business hundreds of thousands of pounds. The solution is built on Awen Collective's Dot software, which has been developed with the support of Siemens, and performs asset and vulnerability discovery on operational technology (OT), which covers everything from coffee machines to large industrial robots, including:- ICS, SCADA and IIoT systems. According to the UK Government: Cybersecurity Breaches Survey 2022 48% of small businesses and 50% of medium sized businesses report having been impacted by some kind of cyber breach or attack in the last 12 months. Digitalisation and the growing networking of machines and industrial systems also mean that operational technology (OT) is at an increased risk of cyber attack. Indeed, new cybercrime incidents are reported every day by UK businesses. Despite this, many SMEs do not prioritise cybersecurity support, thinking that they either cannot afford it or do not need it.

Paul Hingley, Product Solution and Security Officer UK and Ireland for Siemens Digital Industries, said:- "Siemens has been working with the North West Cyber Resilience Centre since its conception. We as an industry have partnered with law enforcement and academia as such alliances are vital to the way the digital industry will evolve in the years to come. Cybersecurity sits at the Centre of digital transformation, understanding and adoption of it into the industrial control concepts is a must now. Partnering with Awen and the consortium we will answer some of the concerns and challenges around cybersecurity the industry faces by delivering an IT and OT Operational Response Centre. This will enable SMEs to invest in a service that will provide cyber alarms when their control systems become compromised by cyber attacks. The concept we have developed with the consortium has the potential to provide low cost protection across the office and manufacturing space. It is a unique offering that will allow companies to build their cyber resilience while developing their business impact knowledge; a major step forward in improving the cyber maturity of our UK industry."

Daniel Lewis, founder and Executive Chairman, at Awen Collective, based in Wales, said:- "Our software solutions reflect what the market is telling us. No single product is a'silver bullet' we must genuinely work together. We are very pleased to be building this partnership with Siemens to deliver quality solutions that help prevent the very real threat of cybercrime. In essence, we're giving industrial organisations the capability to discover vulnerabilities that they may not have been aware that they had, and the tools to do something about them. Cybersecurity in Wales is thriving. We're growing a strong community through 1 of the largest clusters in the UK and it has really laid the foundation for us to be able to work on major projects such as this, with forward thinking businesses like Siemens. We can't wait for what's to come."

Katie Gallagher, Managing Director of Manchester Digital and co-founder of North West Cyber Resilience Centre, said:- "We're really pleased to partner with Siemens and Awen Collective to be able to offer this new OT security solution to businesses across the North West. There are increasingly sophisticated threats to cyber security within operational technology so we will continue to work with businesses and our partners to help all businesses protect themselves against cyber attacks. Businesses often don't realise the potentially devastating effects of a cyber attack on their business until it's too late, so our work begins at educating businesses owners around the threats, as well as offering advice and security solutions."

David Taylor, Chief Technology Officer, IN4.0 Group, said:- "As specialists in Industry 4.0 technologies IN4.0 Group are delighted to be a key part of this consortium, helping to address the issues faced when securing OT environments. The cyber security threat landscape is constantly changing with new vulnerabilities discovered each day, staying on top of these vulnerabilities is vital. Threats to industrial control systems and the OT environment do not just result in the loss of data, they can halt production, impact the safety of employees, and even result in death. With a strong background in cyber security and our own UK based Security Operation Centres we are now best placed to provide a cost effective solution that not only helps businesses to secure their IT but their OT environments as well."

More fans watched Lioness Euro Win in cinema than saw England Men's Final in 2021

MORE fans streamed into Showcase Cinemas in England on Sunday to watch the Lionesses win Euro 2022 than saw England lose in the final of the men's competition last year, latest data reveals. Showcase gave football fans something to shout about this summer, screening all the England Women's Euro 2022 games at its cinemas across England free of charge. The cinema chain has a history of showing the home nations' matches at major tournaments, starting at the World Cup in 2010 through to 2019 and 2021, when the women's World Cup and men's Euros were both screened. Latest data from Showcase shows that more fans watched the Lionesses on Sunday at their cinemas than saw the men's team succumb to Italy at Wembley a year ago. Meanwhile, this summer's competition was viewed by 4 times as many people as the World Cup in 2019. Viewership increased match by match, culminating in record numbers for the final, when the most well attended Showcase Cinemas were Dudley, Reading and Leicester.

Mark Barlow, UK General Manager for Showcase Cinemas, said:- "The cinema viewing figures for Euro 2022 have been absolutely incredible, and is a real testament to the Lionesses and women's football in general. The entire country got behind the England team, and we could definitely feel the passion for them in our cinemas on match days. We've had brilliant feedback on the viewing experience from our guests, who got to experience 1 of this nation's most memorable sporting moments ever in true style on the big screen."

For further information and to see the latest film times, please visit the Showcase Cinemas website.

Only 1 in 5 women play grassroots sports

ONLY 20% of women have ever participated in community grassroots sports, compared to 46% of men, a survey has found. As the nation celebrates last week's historic Lionesses' win, this data highlights the inequality in access and resources between men's and women's grassroots sport. According to charity Women in Sport, School age girls are significantly less active than boys, and less girls between years:- 9 to 11 enjoy sports, compared to boys. Questions have also been raised by parents about equality of access, with some claiming girls must pay to up to £50 per month to play football in Premier League academies, something which boys do not have to do. Now, Former Lioness and Arsenal ace Rachel Yankey is heading calls for grassroots sports clubs to apply for funding ensuring:- "now is the time for real change."

Leading pub company and brewer, Greene King, continues to pledge hundreds of thousands of pounds to grassroots sports clubs through the Greene King IPA Proud To Pitch In scheme, aiming to give away £1 million to clubs before the end of 2023. The scheme, which is available throughout the UK sees grants awarded to clubs of up to £3,000. Supporting over 8,000 beneficiaries to date and funding over 50 projects, the Greene King IPA Proud To Pitch In scheme is available for all grassroots sports clubs in the UK with participants aged 18 and over. So far, Greene King IPA Proud To Pitch has donated £208K to grassroots sports clubs across the UK.

Football star Rachel Yankey urges sports teams to apply for funding:- "Seeing the women bring football home on Sunday was nothing short of incredible. This was a historic win that will inspire so many women right across the UK and that's why it's so important that we continue this momentum to ensure sport is accessible at grassroots level. Not having access to funds was a common theme for me when I started out, but Greene King's Proud To Pitch In scheme really helps combat that. Whatever sport you play, funding is available. Whether it's for new equipment, jerseys or to refurbish the club house; the Proud To Pitch In grants can make a huge difference. Now is the time for real change, let's ensure as a nation we can keep playing and enjoying sport in our communities."

Greene King is donating 10p from every pint of Greene King IPA and 50p from every 4x500ml can pack sold* to support the Proud To Pitch In scheme. The cash grants help support local clubs from the ground up, so they can continue the sport they love. From football, rugby, netball and cricket right through to rowing and Zumba; the Greene King IPA Proud To Pitch In scheme is available to all sports clubs.

Will Hemmings, marketing director for Brewing and Brands at Greene King adds:- "Sport is so important to our communities, and we've seen this weekend just how much sport can deliver a real community spirit. We want to encourage teams all over the country to apply for Proud To Pitch In grants, so we can help support them with funds that allow them to continue the sports they love. We're immensely proud of the Greene King IPA Proud To Pitch In scheme and it's amazing to see the impact the grants have delivered to date. This isn't a 1 off campaign, it's a continuous pledge from us at Greene King to ensure grassroots sports can flourish not just in local communities, but right across the UK."

To support Proud To Pitch In, simply head to your local participating Greene King pub and grab yourself a pint of Greene King IPA. If you're a sports club and would like to find out more or apply for funding, please visit:- GreeneKing-Pubs.Co.UK.