Hyndburn Councillor Wins Cohesive Society Award
Councillor Noordad Aziz from Great Harwood, was recognised for his work to build better communities in the inaugural Remembering Srebrenica North West Cohesive Society Awards last week.
Councillor Aziz, along with Dr Aidan Stonehouse and Armaan Chohan, won the Best New Event award for organising the UK’s first ever Srebrenica Peace March. As a symbolic end to Srebrenica Memorial Week on the 21stanniversary of the genocide in Bosnia, 21 Remembering Srebrenica Community Champions walked just over 21 miles between Blackburn Cathedral and Manchester Cathedral, visiting different faith venues along the way.
Chair of Remembering Srebrenica’s North West Board, Elinor Chohan, who joined them on the Peace March said:
“The time and effort that Councillor Aziz and the other volunteers have put into commemorating Srebrenica is inspiring. This event brought diverse communities together in remembrance as well as walking in solidarity with the survivors, mirroring the powerful ‘Mars Mira’ peace walk which takes place annually in Srebrenica. The work of our Community Champions really shows that people in the North West want their communities to be stronger and safer by uniting against hatred and welcoming everyone regardless of their race, religion, sexuality or ability.”
Dr Waqar Azmi OBE, Chairman of Remembering Srebrenica, added:
“Never has it been more important for us to learn the lessons from Srebrenica, so it is vital that we have talented and driven individuals like Cllr Aziz bringing people together. The dedication of our volunteers across the UK last year meant that we put on nearly 400 events, attended by over 50,000 people. By working with schools, councils, faith organisations and other community groups we can challenge those who spread divisive messages in their efforts to breed hatred and intolerance.”
Cllr Aziz said of his award: “'The Peace March is a great initiative to raise awareness of what happened at Srebrenica over 20 years ago. I am glad the North West has led the way and I hope it continues for many years. For me, it was also a way of honouring the mothers of Srebrenica, who I met when I went out there a few years ago, and whose quest for justice still continues today.”
Remembering Srebrenica’s volunteers in the North West put on 52 events just in July, which were attended by thousands of people to bring communities together and unite against hatred. The charity’s message in all these commemorations was to embrace difference while remembering the victims of the worst atrocity on European soil since World War Two.
Event organisers focused on the lost generation in Bosnia who never had the opportunity to celebrate their coming of age. By helping communities to take action now, Remembering Srebrenica wants young people to join older people and help build a cohesive society for everyone.
Local councillors, educators, and Community Champions came together at Sanam's restaurant in Manchester on Thursday evening to celebrate their achievements in bringing communities together.
For further information in relation to the work of Remembering Srebrenica please see below:
Website: http://srebrenica.org.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rememberingsrebrenica
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SrebrenicaUK
Councillor Noordad Aziz from Great Harwood, was recognised for his work to build better communities in the inaugural Remembering Srebrenica North West Cohesive Society Awards last week.
Councillor Aziz, along with Dr Aidan Stonehouse and Armaan Chohan, won the Best New Event award for organising the UK’s first ever Srebrenica Peace March. As a symbolic end to Srebrenica Memorial Week on the 21stanniversary of the genocide in Bosnia, 21 Remembering Srebrenica Community Champions walked just over 21 miles between Blackburn Cathedral and Manchester Cathedral, visiting different faith venues along the way.
Chair of Remembering Srebrenica’s North West Board, Elinor Chohan, who joined them on the Peace March said:
“The time and effort that Councillor Aziz and the other volunteers have put into commemorating Srebrenica is inspiring. This event brought diverse communities together in remembrance as well as walking in solidarity with the survivors, mirroring the powerful ‘Mars Mira’ peace walk which takes place annually in Srebrenica. The work of our Community Champions really shows that people in the North West want their communities to be stronger and safer by uniting against hatred and welcoming everyone regardless of their race, religion, sexuality or ability.”
Dr Waqar Azmi OBE, Chairman of Remembering Srebrenica, added:
“Never has it been more important for us to learn the lessons from Srebrenica, so it is vital that we have talented and driven individuals like Cllr Aziz bringing people together. The dedication of our volunteers across the UK last year meant that we put on nearly 400 events, attended by over 50,000 people. By working with schools, councils, faith organisations and other community groups we can challenge those who spread divisive messages in their efforts to breed hatred and intolerance.”
Cllr Aziz said of his award: “'The Peace March is a great initiative to raise awareness of what happened at Srebrenica over 20 years ago. I am glad the North West has led the way and I hope it continues for many years. For me, it was also a way of honouring the mothers of Srebrenica, who I met when I went out there a few years ago, and whose quest for justice still continues today.”
Remembering Srebrenica’s volunteers in the North West put on 52 events just in July, which were attended by thousands of people to bring communities together and unite against hatred. The charity’s message in all these commemorations was to embrace difference while remembering the victims of the worst atrocity on European soil since World War Two.
Event organisers focused on the lost generation in Bosnia who never had the opportunity to celebrate their coming of age. By helping communities to take action now, Remembering Srebrenica wants young people to join older people and help build a cohesive society for everyone.
Local councillors, educators, and Community Champions came together at Sanam's restaurant in Manchester on Thursday evening to celebrate their achievements in bringing communities together.
For further information in relation to the work of Remembering Srebrenica please see below:
Website: http://srebrenica.org.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rememberingsrebrenica
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SrebrenicaUK
