PROMOTING tolerance and respect at the same time as challenging perceptions is the aim of events taking place across Bolton to raise awareness of hate crime.

The council, the police and other partners have got together for a series of activities during this week’s annual Hate Crime Awareness Week – the fifth to be held – which coincides with a hard-hitting Greater Manchester-wide radio advertising campaign.

Cllr Derek Burrows, cabinet member for community safety at Bolton Council. said: “Hate crime is completely unacceptable and we are working with our partners to reduce it.

“We hope that the events and awareness raising activities we are organising as part of this week will raise awareness of hate crime and encourage people to take a stand against it.”

Bolton Citizens’ Advice Bureau in Mawdsley Street in Bolton town centre is already a third party reporting centre but has now trained all its staff in a specialist e-learning course on hate crime awareness.

It means they are better able to recognise hate crime and encourage others to report it and the course is available at www.boltoncommunitysafetytraining.org.uk for the public to use.

Community group The Fur Community will be working with the Darfur community from Sudan to host an open day on Sunday at 97 to 99 Derby Street, Daubhill, from 11am to 3pm.

The day will look at hate crime and how to report it including displays, stalls and guest speakers from the police and Bolton Council.

Students and academic staff are the target of a Respect event being held tomorrow jointly between the University of Bolton and the police where voluntary groups and partners will host information stalls.

Disability theatre group Dramatic Action will be working in partnership with Bolton at Home, the Octagon and Drummond Street Community Centre to hold creative writing workshops on individual experiences of hate crime and will collate this work into a display to be put on show at the theatre in Howell Croft South in Bolton town centre.

Community group Friends of Bolton CAMHS will be working with Devise It Education Services to raise awareness of hate crime amongst young people with mental health problems.

Young people will write, produce and perform a short play to raise awareness of the impact of hate crime for young people with mental health issues.

Bolton FM will be broadcasting interviews with the various projects around the town while the Proud Trust will host a display in Central Library in Le Mans Crescent to raise awareness of hate crime in the LGBT community.

Greater Manchester’s Police and Crime Commissioner and its interim mayor Tony Lloyd said: “This week is a powerful show of what can be achieved when we all stand together against hatred and prejudice, bringing communities together to celebrate our diversity and encourage tolerance and respect.”

Mr Lloyd’s office allocated £10,000 to each council to subsidise to local Hate Crime Awareness Week projects and this was distributed to the winning bids.

Police have been visiting schools, retail parks and shopping centres with stalls in order to speak to passers-by about hate crime. Chief Superintendent Wasim Chaudhry, said: “Everyone has the right to feel safe and we all have a responsibility to stand against hatred and discrimination.

“Over the last year, 5,250 hate crimes or incidents were reported to GMP, 227 of those were carried out on public transport of one form or another across Greater Manchester.

“This year we are launching a transport campaign alongside various local authorities and partnerships to make sure people feel safe on public transport across Greater Manchester.”

n People can report incidents at www.letsendhatecrime.com.