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Hackney Council raised the Armed Forces Day flag over Town Hall in honour of the brave and committed men and women in the British Armed Forces community, on Armed Forces Day on Saturday (June 25).  Addressing an Armed Forces Day static parade, comprising members of Hackney’s Salvation Army, London Cadets, RAF Air Cadets, Sea Cadets and the Hackney Memorable Order of Tin Hats, Stephen Howlett CBE, Deputy Lieutenant for the London Borough of Hackney, and Cllr Humaira Garasia, the Speaker of Hackney, expressed the borough’s support for the currently serving troops, as well as service families, veterans and cadets, who defend the UK and its interests, promote peace, deliver aid, provide security and fight terrorism.The flag-raising ceremony and the playing of a lone bugler was followed by a presentation of certificates to select Hackney troops and cadets in recognition of their exceptional service. Armed Forces Day takes place on the last Saturday each June to acknowledge the dedication and efforts of the men and women who comprise the British Armed Forces.

A Hackney Council service, originally developed to help residents during the Covid crisis and now part of its core customer services, has won a national award. The new ‘Link Work’ service was set up to help those shielding during lockdown to access food and other support. Since then, that work has expanded and now sees officers proactively contacting residents in order to help them in a range of ways, including to access financial help or linking them up with government and the voluntary sector services. The team is also trained to spot when a resident may need help from more than one council service - such as housing and social care - or from a partner organisation.That work has now been recognised by the country’s leading body for digital transformation, called Digital Leaders, where the service won the Public Service Innovation award at a ceremony last night (Thursday 23 June). 

On National Windrush Day (Wednesday 22 June) Hackney demonstrated its commitment to supporting the Windrush generations with the unveiling of a permanent public artwork in Town Hall Square, honouring the borough’s Windrush community.The unveiling of “Warm Shores” by artist Thomas J Price was celebrated with an evening of music, song and dance hosted by actor, comedian, TV and radio presenter, Eddie Nestor MBE, featuring performances from award-winning poets Mr Gee, Raymond Antrobus and KG Lester, Morningside Youth Steel Pan Band, a Reggae Choir, and Kingsmead Dynamix Drumming and Dance Group, as well as speeches from Hackney’s Windrush lead Cllr Carole Williams and Mayor Philip Glanville.The two 9ft bronze figures are based on digital 3D images of over 30 Hackney residents with a personal connection to Windrush. The sculptures complete the Council’s Hackney Windrush Artwork Commission, established in partnership with Create London, with support from Art Fund and Freelands Foundation, which in October 2021 saw the delivery of the UK's first permanent public sculptures honouring the Windrush generation, by Turner Prize-nominated artist Veronica Ryan OBE.NotesNational Windrush DayAlthough Windrush Day has been celebrated in the Caribbean community for years, National Windrush Day was introduced in the UK in June 2018 on the 70th anniversary of the Windrush migration. The day marks the arrival of African-Caribbean immigrants to the shores of Britain and honours the British Caribbean community. An estimated half a million people made their way to England after the Second World War.Hackney Windrush Art CommissionThe announcement was made on National Windrush Day 2020 following an extensive consultation process which began in 2018. The final decision to select Thomas J Price and Veronica Ryan to make two separate pieces of work was made by a panel including Hackney residents, Windrush campaigners, artists, architects and local councillors including Cllr Carole Williams – Hackney’s appointed Cabinet lead for Windrush. The panel was chaired by Mark Sealy, director of Hackney-based gallery Autograph ABP, with approval from Mayor Phillip Glanville.The Hackney Windrush Art Commission is commissioned by Hackney Council and produced and curated by Create London. It is funded by the Art Fund, with additional support from the Henry Moore Foundation. The accompanying extensive public programme is kindly supported by the Freelands Foundation.Thomas J PriceThomas J Price was born in South London (1981). He received his BA in Fine Art Sculpture at Chelsea College of Art (2001-2004) and completed his MA in Sculpture from the Royal College of Art in (2004-2006.) Price's practice spans sculpture, photography, film and animation. Price has held solo exhibitions at prestigious institutions including The Power Plant, Toronto, Canada; The National Portrait Gallery, London, UK; and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, West Bretton, UK. Price’s sculpture ‘The Distance Within’ is currently on view in Marcus Garvey Park, New York, until October 2022 as part of ‘Witness’; a commissioned project with Studio Museum Harlem. In 2021 he joined the international gallery Hauser and Wirth. Price lives and works in London.Create LondonCreate London is an arts organisation that has pioneered working with artists to realise new social enterprises, charities and cultural spaces. It commissions, curates and incubates long-term projects that are useful to society, supporting artists to work collaboratively with local communities. It reimagines the role of the artist in the city, working outside of galleries to find new and often surprising ways for art to become part of everyday life. Create London is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation. https://createlondon.org/ Hackney CouncilIn 2018, Hackney was the first UK council to pass a comprehensive Motion regarding the Windrush generation. Alongside lobbying for justice for those affected by the Windrush Scandal, honouring the Windrush community is key to the borough’s commitments. Hackney Council’s Windrush Engagement Program supports the borough’s ongoing pledge to honor the valuable contributions of the Windrush generation.  https://hackney.gov.uk/windrush  Art FundArt Fund is the national fundraising charity for art. It provides millions of pounds every year to help museums to acquire and share works of art across the UK, further the professional development of their curators, and inspire more people to visit and enjoy their public programmes. Art Fund is independently funded, supported by the 130,000 members who buy the National Art Pass, who enjoy free entry to over 240 museums, galleries and historic places, 50% off major exhibitions, and receive Art Quarterly magazine. Art Fund also supports museums through its annual prize, Art Fund Museum of the Year. www.artfund.org Freelands FoundationFreelands Foundation was set up in 2015 to give more people the chance to engage with and enjoy the arts in the UK, with a particular focus on education. Their ambition is to give everyone access to art education in the belief that it raises their aspirations and transforms their opportunities in life. They have worked with more than 30 arts organisations across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to support artists and broaden their engagement in their communities.  https://freelandsfoundation.co.uk/ 

Last week the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan set out his plans for Metropolitan Police reform in the wake of a series of scandals within the service, including the shameful stripsearch by police of Hackney school girl Child Q.  A City and Hackney Safeguarding Board Safeguarding Partnership review found that racism was likely an ‘influencing factor’ in the conduct of police officers that day.The Mayor of London called for robust vetting of new and serving police officers; better recruitment processes; change to the misconduct process; procedures to identify officers not suitable to the job; strengthened monitoring to help identify corrupt officers; better training and supervision; clear steps to how the Met becomes actively anti-racist; and recruitment of more people from Black and Global Majority communities.He added that he would only support the appointment of a new commissioner if they understand the extent of the cultural and organisational problems of the Met and if they have a convincing plan for root and branch reform. Mayor of Hackney Philip Glanville and Cllr Susan Fajana-Thomas, Hackney Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Safety, have responded to the Mayor of London’s proposals.They said: “Police officers in Hackney and beyond work day-in, day-out to keep residents safe. Many go above and beyond the call of duty for their communities. However, what happened to Child Q in our borough - part of a series of other scandals and abuses across London in recent times - as well as the heinous murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer has led to an acute crisis of confidence in the police. Trust in the service is at a new low, with many people in Hackney telling us that the police do not serve or represent them.  “The Council has been working with local officers for years to help bridge the gap between police and some of our communities, but time and time again that work is undermined by the actions of some officers in the police. That’s why we welcome these plans for reform by the Mayor of London. Systemic and cultural change must happen - and it must come from the very top - if communities are to trust police again and if the damage caused by the many Met outrages is ever to be repaired.'“In the meantime, we’ll continue our work at a local level: including the development of an action plan - co-produced by the community, Council and police - to help rebuild trust in the service locally; and facilitating the monitoring of police use of stop and search by independent members of the community.”