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Police staff from Warwickshire, Staffordshire, West Mercia and West Midlands Police Forces have joined together to produce self-reporting packs for witnesses to, or victims of, hate crime. The scheme, named 'True Vision', is the largest policing project independent of the Home Office, and Regional Forces hope these packs will increase confidence to report hate crime so that Police are in a better position to tackle the problem.

The scheme has proved so popular that there are now 30 Police Forces across England and Wales looking to adopt these packs. Forces are now seeking to promote the packs among the affected communities so they are easily recognisable and accessible.

The initiative is split into two packs: homophobic and transphobic crimes and racist and anti-religious crimes. As well as self-reporting forms the packs contain information about what hate crime is and what support is available to victims. Reporting forms can, if preferred, be filled out anonymously.

"When we started this project we were trying to produce a single recognisable pack that people in the Midlands to use to report Hate Crimes. At that time we had not anticipated the positive interest from other police forces. With so many other forces having come on board, our original aim has been achieved and extended. The next stage is the development of a third pack for Hate Crime aggravated by disability, which will be a challenging but incredibly exciting issue too."

Packs should be available from your nearest gay pub/club or can obtained by visiting your local police station. Alternatively you can visit the True Vision website: www.report-it.org.uk - a downloadable form is available from the site.

Warwickshire Police:	01926 415000
West Midlands Police:	0845 113 5000
West Mercia Constabulary:	08457 444 888
Staffordshire Police:	08453 302010

With UNISON’s next Lesbian & Gay (First LGBT Conference?) in Belfast it’s time to check websites fro the cheapest and fastest ways to get there. But if you’ve a bit of spare time to search further you might find an even better bargain.

www.ryan-be-fair.org has attracted over half a million hits. It has been set up by the International Transport Workers federation to defend Ryanair Workers and reveals a shocking catalogue of misery, low pay and oppression - twelve hour days without breaks and how they even have to pay for the water they drink on flights.

The general secretary, David Cockroft, said “The public should be thinking about choosing another airline and the regulatory authorities should be investigating. “REPA, the Ryanair European Pilots Association, has been formed with the backing of UK pilots’ union BALPA and its Irish counterpart.

Ryanair, too, hit the news when it was involved in a recent in a recent Disability Discrimination Act case for charging a passenger for the use of a wheelchair at Stansted.

Don’t tar all budget airlines with the same brush. Easy Jet, for example, recognises unions.

Visit www.chooseclimate.org/climatetrain/ecobal.html. Warning: print this one; it’s a dense read. You’ll need to sit down with a cup of tea and a biscuit. But the upshot is that, expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent per passenger kilometre, flying produces about ten times the level of greenhouse gas emissions as the same journey by train and ferry.

www.norsemerchant.com will give you the sailing schedules and prices on the Birkenhead-Belfast route. It takes eight hours and the low season single fare for a foot passenger is £25 during the day and £30 at night. This includes meals but cabins are extra.

If eight hours at sea is too daunting, Stena crosses from Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire in an hour and three quarters. Less than the airport check -in time. Irish Ferries takes a few minutes more to Dublin Ferryport. Another half an hour will see you at Connolly Station where the train takes two hours to Belfast. We all love a bargain. I do. You do. Branch treasurers do. So do the working class and the planet.

If you are interested in getting involved or simply learning more about Wolverhampton Branch Group please contact Bob Deacon on 01902 or Sally Clayton on 07970 529130. Including Bisexual and Transgender Members.

Among the amendments to rule before UNISON’s National Conference in June will be one to set up a UNISON Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender Group. Last year an identical amendment failed to gain the two-thirds majority it needed.

There is much broader support this year. Not only the National Lesbian & Gay Conference put forward the amendment but 29 Branches from Exeter to Glasgow. Also on the conference agenda is Motion 42, “LGB&T Issues in the Workplace.” This too is from the National Lesbian & Gay Members Conference. It aims not simply to include bisexual and trans members in UNISON’s Structures but to see the union make a real difference for these members when they go to work.

Just because something is on the agenda doesn’t mean that it will be discussed let alone that conference will carry it. Much work remains to be done for LGB&T members in the run-up to June. The only people at conference who can vote are the branch delegates so it is vital that you raise the issue with your branch committee and so your branch’s delegate votes the right way.

Branches also play a key role deciding what gets discussed at conference. Too many motions are submitted for conference to debate all of them, so each UNISON region gets asked to select twelve motions and six rule amendments. We want to get Motion 42 and Rule Amendment 8 on to as many regional lists as possible. In the West Midlands this will be decided by Regional Council at its meeting on 23 April 2005. Again, the views of the branches are vital.

So contact your branch secretary now. Say to them you want the branch to support prioritisation of Rule Amendment and Motion 42 and you want the branch to support both of these at conference.

Over the last year sadly many of our Lesbian and Gay Branch Groups have folded. Members get new jobs or change roles due to ill health, which means we have contact with fewer branches via our committee. We would like to build up links with all of the Branches in the region; if you are Lesbian or Gay and an officer at your Branch perhaps you would be prepared to be a named link person? Perhaps you are not an officer but would be interested in coming along to one of the meetings to see what happens? No commitment necessary. Perhaps your Branch has a Lesbian & Gay Officer who could be a named contact person for other members?

We would also like to hear from members who are bisexual or transgendered. You would also be welcome at our committee meetings, although the rule change has yet to happen we are able to invite whomever we want to our meetings so you would be very welcome indeed.

Ever wanted to do something a bit more exciting in life? Here is your chance, in aid of the registered charity Rainbow House. Rainbow House offer FREE Conductive education to children with disabilities.

To experience the thrill all you need to do is visit their web-site at www.makethatdifference.co.uk or contact 0870 460 4298. You will then need to commit to raise a minimum amount of sponsorship money and before you know it you will be swimming with sharks under the watchful eyes of trained instructors.

A chance to do something extraordinary and have an experience you will never forget, in aid of Disabled Children.

You will be required to pay £299 for the trip and raise a minimum amount in sponsorship for the Rainbow House Charity. Contact www.makethatdifference.co.uk or phone 0870 460 4298 for more information.

The General Election, expected on May 5th, will call for activity never seen before to stop fascists advancing in the West Midlands.

The British National Party will contest 22 West Midlands constituencies, nearly twice the number they’ll fight in any other region. These include:

Stoke on Trent South is among the fascists’ top four national targets. In local elections last year the BNP stood in five of the constituency’s seven wards taking 28.3% of the vote.

Besides the General Election, May 5th will see elections for a mayor in Stoke on Trent and for the county councils. In Stoke a fascist is standing for mayor. In the counties expect serious fascist campaigns in the Wombourne Division of Staffordshire and in North Warwickshire.

Fascists wan to see an all-white Britain. They deny the Nazis murdered Europe’s Jews. Wherever they come to power Trade Unions are banned. Parties which are against democracy itself have no business taking part in our elections. The BNP web site says that they, “will ban public displays of homosexuality.”

Following last year’s elections fascists hold council seats in Stoke, Sandwell, and South Staffordshire. Recent bye-elections have seen their vote grow. Last month the BNP were only 62 votes short of taking their third seat on Stoke Council.

Last year we dashed their hopes of gaining seats in the European Parliament. But the West Midlands was where they came closest.

Stopping their advance this year demands hard work. But not as hard as it’s going to be if a fascist is Mayor of Stoke and two or three of them are in the House of Commons.

Don’t know what you can do to fight fascism in the next election? Wish you could do something but don’t have the time? Then join us by using just one Sunday Afternoon to do some leafletting.

We plan to leaflet Stoke on Trent South on Sunday 17th April. Details will be in this newsletter or follow shortly. Join a small group of like minded people who care. Put it in your diary now!

one of the many ampersands that will need a home should the rule change go through in June

In a new scheme. YOU can adopt an ampersand. With the changeover from the L&G Self-Organised group to an LGBT one, some UNISON members are calling on delegates to bring no-longer-needed ampersands with them to what is hoped to be UNISON’s first LGBT conference in Belfast in November.

After months of planning and negotiation UNISON has convinced an ampersand sanctuary near Wolverhampton to take the ampersands for re-training for life in the wild.

“I like to think UNISON will handle this change responsibly” said an anonymous activist, “Years after other unions changed, ampersands have been found in tiny, barren cages in solitary confinement.”

Ampersands are particularly ill-suited to a solitary life. They need company. Some ampersands have been re-homed within UNISON - with Youth & Community Workers for example.

For just £24.00 you can adopt an ampersand which will help UNISON cover the cost of care at the sanctuary. You’ll also receive a photo and a story plus an adoption certificate, toy ampersand and regular updates.

As far as UNISON is aware this is the only scheme in the world where you can adopt an ampersand.

Hello and welcome back to my column. If you have not read my column before - and why not? I want to know - my name is Oscar. I am informed my middle name is “the” and my last name is “dog.” Now the formal introductions are over I can get on with the important business of imparting my knowledge to you poor humans.

I have heard that there is some debate over the mode of transport to be used to get to Belfast in November... I have also noticed that you humans often forget the most obvious way! I say it’s time for “walkies” (to be said in Barbara style). Why not walk? OK, so you may need to start now, what’s the rush all the time, why not? You’ll be there in plenty of time, and if you use your noses there will no doubt be loads of food on the street you can eat along the way. Apparently some of you pay money to go and stand in gyms on tread mills, well, people, the streets are out there! Go for it.! If I was a UNISON member I would walk..

If you know of any other UNISON Members who are Lesbian & Gay please do encourage them to join our mailing list. It is important that we try to reach as many of our members as possible.

The opinions expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of UNISON or any of its officers.