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News river lighting to stay

Patrick Stephens

Investgatons Editor

After the installation of temporary lights along a river path in Durham for Lumiere, a group of welfare officers have called for lighting to be installed there permanently as a safety measure.

The lights were installed along the river path between Prebends Bridge and Framwellgate Bridge, but have now been removed.

One student told Palatinate: “It was only when I was at Lumiere realised how much easier travel at night would be if the river paths were lit”.

The group includes welfare officers from eleven colleges.

The stretch of river is known to be dangerous. Three Durham students died from drowning in less than 18 months from 2013. An inquest in 2015 into the death of student Euan Coulthard noted that the path where he had fallen into the river was “not well illuminated beyond railings”. orks were completed along certain stretches in 201 to resurface part of the footpath and install new railings. ne issue the welfare officers note is possible concerns about a potential bat cluster close to rebends ridge which might be disturbed by the lighting. They have called for in uiries into whether some lighting could still be installed without significantly harming the wildlife.

Durham-founded charity tutoring project in recruitment drive

i any han

e s e orter

harity tutoring pro ect earning y eart have called for student volunteers to join their tutoring and management teams. The charity, which operates a pay as you feel model, is facing increasing demand for its services.

Learning By Heart (LBH) was founded by Durham alumnus Naomi Green in May 2020 is a non profit founded by aomi reen. The pro ect began as a response to the impact of ovid 1 lockdowns. The scheme aims to challenge the “growing educational ine uality in the and elsewhere” that young people face.

LBH utilises a system of volunteer tutors, who offer support in their preferred sub ect. tudents subscribed to are charged on a pay as you feel basis, facilitating accessibility to pupils from all income backgrounds.

The funds collected go towards the educational charities CAMFED (Campaign for Female ducation and ducation annot Wait. CAMFED supports female education in five sub aharan countries, while ducation annot ait aims to provide education to those living under humanitarian crises. o far, has raised over 000 for these charities.

In their year and a half of e istence, s 0 strong team has created a substantial network of educational tools to support its students, including a second hand te tbook drive, university sessions, and webinars on issues like feminism and education . ith volunteers help, founder aomi would like to take further in being “a leader in social mobility” by increasing cooperation with universities and businesses “to reach all corners of the ”. he hopes to e pand into becoming “a substantial charity”.

Green told Palatinate that volunteers do not have to be e perienced, but “passion and drive” were key. The application process includes an interview in which ideal applicants “can explain to you what it is about that makes them want to volunteer”. reen described her team as a “community”. uccessful applicants would be welcomed into a reciprocal network of volunteers, where tutors can chat to each other and management staff adopt a “ e re there if you need us” approach. ccording to reen, about 80 of students are at the GCSE and level stage. part from children, also attracts adult students, offering “a more accessible option to those who couldn t afford individual classes” or who want to get teaching ualifications. range of sub ects, including the sciences, aths, and nglish, are available to students depending on tutor availability. hen asked about her e perience with , reen emphasised “the feeling of community that it s grown into”. She told Palatinate that “ m learning from those around me and am constantly ama ed and fulfilled by what a community it s become”.

( ainey in)

100,000 allocated to council for women s safety

Daniel Hodgson e s e orter

urham ounty ouncil has received 100,000 from the overnment s afety of omen at ight fund to increase the safety of women in the City of Durham.

The money will be used to deliver vulnerability awareness training. The recipients will include hoteliers, managers of takeaways and off licences, staff at transport hubs, designated premises supervisors and door security staff.

A night safety hub will also be created. This will allow those who are vulnerable to seek advice or first aid, engage with support services, report incidents, wait for a family or friend, or access information about safer transport.

In addition, all County ouncil registered ta i and private hire drivers will receive an online training package. hen completed, they will be provided with an accreditation identification badge, in an attempt to make female passengers feel safer when travelling.

The application was put forward by Durham City Safety roup . lan atrickson, chair of the said “ urham is a very safe and welcoming place but we are not complacent. There is inevitably a small number of people who engage in crime and anti social behaviour and by recognising this and preparing for it we can help to make our city as safe as possible.” oy llen, urham olice and Crime Commissioner shared Mr. atrickson s sentiment, saying “We wanted women and girls in our community to have their say on their personal e periences and we wanted to know what more they think the police and our partners could do, which is why the proposals outlined in the bid were informed by the respondents to the force s all t Out survey.”

The allocation of funds coincides with the nternational Day for the Elimination of iolence gainst omen ay, also known as hite ibbon ay. This year the event is taking place on Thursday 25th November and is the commencement of a 1 day campaign. urham ounty ouncil, the niversity and the tudents nion all support the international day of action.

All three organisations are asking people to oin in by signing the hite ibbon ay pledge, promising to never commit, e cuse or remain silent about violence against women.

To help raise awareness and encourage signing of the hite ibbon ledge, there will be a joint event, hosted by the three organisations on Thursday, at the tudents nion building, from 10am until 2pm. The Safer Durham Partnership is supporting this event.

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