community

"A successful year with many great challenges ahead"

That was the key message from Mr. Andrew Green, Chair of Merseyside Chinese Community Development Association (MCCDA), sent out to those attending the MCCDA Annual General Meeting on 4^th September 2008.

About 40 people attended the meeting at the Pagoda Chinese Community Centre. People who attended the meeting included MCCDA service users, representatives from public, private and voluntary and community sectors.

During the meeting, Andrew Green informed meeting attendees that the organisation had gone through a difficult phrase last year: Silk Road News was a bi-lingual English and Chinese Community newspaper establish since 1984; it had to be halt due to Liverpool City Council stopped providing funding to the project.

"The City generated a tremendous amount of tourism and trade through promoting the Liverpool Chinese Community as the eldest Chinese community in Europe. We have lost funding from the Council for the bi-lingual Chinese nursery at the Pagoda in April this year. Here we also lost the bi-lingual Chinese community newspaper in Liverpool. I understand there is a growing concern among the Community that the City seems to disengage their commitment to support the Chinese Community." Alan Seatwo, Chair of the Pagoda Chinese Community Centre Advisory Committee commented after the meeting.

Andrew Green also reported a number of successes last year including the increase in the number of clients at both the Carers Project and the Chinese Elderly Luncheon Club. He highlighted the commitment of the staff and volunteers who were crucial to the work of the organisation, and he also acknowledge the support of a variety of funders and partner organisations. . He also reminded the meeting that MCCDA was charity, but that it could not rely on grants and donations to survive. Instead it must recognise that it has to function as a business, bidding in competition with other organisations, to local authorities, government and social landlords to provide services. The toughest challenges were yet to come.

Interested in food and cooking?

Are your roots from somewhere other than Liverpool and the UK?

Want to talk about the stories behind the food you eat?

Would you like to get to know your neighbours better?

Coming and Going, a project for Liverpool Capital of Culture, is looking for people who would be interested in hosting meals in their own homes.

We're looking for hosts from a wide range of cultural backgrounds to prepare food and invite their neighbours in to share it. We're working with a radio station from Marseille and with a sociologist from Istanbul who is an expert on food to help share your stories.

The project will take place in Liverpool in November 2008. All expenses will be paid.

Coming and Going is produced by Quarantine and FKuk. www.qtine.com

"Quarantine has created a body of beautiful, fragile and authentic work, which finds the extraordinary in the ordinary lives of real people." Lyn Gardner, The Guardian <http://www.guardian.co.uk/>

If you'd like more information, please contact Verity Leigh by e-mail verity@qtine.com <mailto:verity@qtine.com> or telephone 0161 830 7318 and leave your name and telephone number. We'll get back to you as soon as we can.

High profile contemporary art comes to Liverpool Chinatown

Liverpool Biennial is the promoter and organiser of the UK's international festival of contemporary art every second year. They also have an ongoing role commissioning art for the public realm, such as Richard Wilson's Turning the Place Over and Antony Gormley's Another Place at Crosby Beach, and delivering our educational objectives through a programme of activities in partnership.

Established in 1998, Liverpool Biennial has presented four festivals, in 1999, 2002, 2004 and 2006. Plans are now being laid for Liverpool Biennial 2008 (20 September - 30 November). You might notice one of their project entitled Visible Virals taking place across the city¹s public transport, parks and urban spaces, for example big questions on the walls at Upper Duke Street and Berry Street. Two other art projects are proposed for Liverpool Chinatown - an artwork at 40 Nelson Street and a giant sculpture for Great George Square. These two projects aim to start in April 2008. Art projects organised by Liverpool Biennial successfully attracted thousands of visitors in the past and these two projects in Chinatown area aim to make a substantial impact to the local economy.

Healthy diet; quality service and good business returns

Do you know if an average daily consumption of salt reduce from 9.5 g to 9 g per day can result in saving 3,500 lives annually.* The North West, and in particular Liverpool, is one of the most deprived regions in England and has some of the highest levels of dietary ill health. People living in deprived areas consume more foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt and fewer portions of fruit and vegetables. Incidences of coronary heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes show a direct correlation with deprivation.
In 2005/2006 Liverpool City Council Trading Standards Department began a healthy eating project entitled EATRIGHT, to improve the health of the citizens of Liverpool. The project concentrated on takeaway and restaurant establishments. Part of the project is to empower the local food industry skills and knowledge about food safety and nutrition. Two 1 day courses are available for the Chinese food industry: Level 2 Awraed in Food Safety in Catering/Manufacturing/Retail; and Level 2 Award in Healthier Food and Special Diets.
Participants who achieve the required standards will be awarded a national recognised qualification by Chartered Institute of Environmental Health. The project is supported by Liverpool Chinatown Business Association and the Pagoda Chinese Community Centre.

For further information, please contact: Ming Wang (Bilingual Employment and Training Officer)

Pagoda Chinese Community Centre
Henry Street
Liverpool
L1 5BU

Tel: 0151 233 8833
Fax: 0151 233 8839

*The Consumer Attitudes to Food Standards Survey 2006