Black & Ethnic Minority Communities

Portsmouth has a diverse ethnic population with around sixty different ethnic groups and nationalities contributing to our cosmopolitan city. Recognising this cultural diversity HIDS works closely with community groups helping to provide the following services and activities.
 
Our aim is to promote health and wellbeing to all ethnic minority groups by providing a range of activities that meet cultural and social needs. We want to include as many people from different backgrounds in our activities as possible, no matter if they have been established in Portsmouth for a long time or only just recently moved to the area.
 
NEWSLETTER
 
We publish a BME Newsletter that goes out to around 1200 individuals in the community as well as to professionals who work in the multicultural sector several times a year. The newsletter contains easy to read health information and information about services and events for the BME community. Click here to download/view the latest edition.
 
If you would like to sign up to our newsletter and receive it per post or email, please contact Uta Schmidtblaicher or Runi Ahmed on 023 92688390 uta.schmidtblaicher@portsmouthcc.gov.uk, runi.ahmed@portsmouthcc.gov.uk. Ideas and comments to the newsletter are also very welcome and you can contact us if you want to promote your events or services to the BME community.
 
HEALTH IS WEALTH ACTIVITIES
 
A consultation with Bangladeshi and Vietnamese communities showed that they had very little access to general public services, including exercise. We therefore ran a three year Health is Wealth project to encourage people from Ethnic Minorities to take up physical activities. This project was very popular with about 300 people from 18 different communities participating.
 
Due to the success of the project, the Women's only swimming group and the Men's Badminton Group have now been integrated into the mainstream service provision at St Luke's Swimming Pool and John Pounds Centre.
 
The Women's only swimming runs every Sunday from 2pm-3pm at St Luke's swimming pool in Greetham Street, PO5 4ML. The session can now be accessed on a pay-as-you-go basis. For more information, phone St Luke's Swimming Pool on 023 9283 8798. If you receive benefits, you might be eligible for a leisure card, which gives you reduced access to the pool. For more information on leisure cards, phone 023 9283 4171.
 
The Men's Badminton Group runs every Wednesday, 11:30am-1:30pm at John Pounds Centre, 23 Queens Street, PO1 4HB. There is a charge of £1.50 for the session. Racket and shuttlecocks are available for hire for £1. For more information, please phone the John Pounds Centre on 023 9289 2010 or go to www.johnpoundscentre.co.uk.
 
ENQUIRY SERVICE
Due to the many different languages currently being spoken in Portsmouth (around 80), we are unable to provide an enquiry service in particular languages anymore. You are welcome to contact us with enquiries in English, or, if the enquiry is regarding health and social care services, we will try and arrange for an interpreter. We won't be able to answer every question but try and signpost you in the right direction for your enquiry.
 
Runi Ahmed and Uta Schmidtblaicher, Tel:023 9268 8390,
runi.ahmed@portsmouthcc.gov.uk,
uta.schmidtblaicher@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
 
COMMUNITIES
In the past, the Health Improvement and Development Service has worked closely with the Chinese, Bangladeshi and Vietnamese Community in Portsmouth because these communities have a high percentage of elderly people and therefore particular social and health needs. However, looking at the growing diversity in the city (the number of different nationalities in the city is estimated to have developed from 40 just three years ago to 80 at present), we want to make our services accessible to as many different communities as possible.
 
CHINESE COMMUNITY IN PORTSMOUTH
There are about 2000 Chinese people in this Portsmouth living in diverse areas throughout the City. According to the University of Portsmouth, there are an average of 600 Chinese students studying in Portsmouth. Most of the people come from Hong Kong and Southern China, a small percentage come from Malaysia, Singapore and Mainland China.
 
Today, the majority of the Chinese population work in the catering trade, only a small proportion work in other business sectors. Many elderly people do not speak English, they rely on family assistance heavily; the tradition that children look after their parents when they get old.
 
The language spoken here is principally Cantonese, followed by Hakka (one of the dialects from rural areas and commonly used by elderly people) and Mandarin. The written form of Chinese is the same irrespective of the spoken language, although there is a traditional font and simple font.
 
For more information on HIDS services for the Chinese community, please contact Uta Schmidtblaicher (023 9268 8390 or uta.schmidtblaicher@portsmouthcc.gov.uk). Her projects include:-
Chinese Lunch Club

 
PORTSMOUTH VIETNAMESE ASSOCIATION
Vietnamese people started to arrive in England in 1979 and the Portsmouth Vietnamese Association was established in April 1992. Young people found life difficult at first but gradually overcame barriers and they very quickly adapted to Western culture. For older people, coping with a new life, new culture and learning English was much harder, they suffered isolation, faced language barriers, lacked transportation and social activities.
 
The population of Vietnamese people in South East Hampshire is about 300, out of a total in England of about 30,000 the majority of whom live in London, Birmingham and Manchester.
 
For more information on HIDS services for the Vietnamese community, please contact Uta Schmidtblaicher (023 9268 8390 or uta.schmidtblaicher@portsmouthcc.gov.uk). Her projects include:-
Vietnamese Elders

 
PORTSMOUTH BANGLADESHI COMMUNITY
Most Bangladeshi people settled in the area come from the rural Sylhet area of North East Bangladesh. The community first settled in the UK in the 1960s, mostly via working in the Merchant Navy.
 
The major occupation of Bangladeshi people has been in the restaurant trade, so-called 'Indian' restaurants and take-aways, but the younger generation is moving away to a wider range of employment and study.
 
For the Bangladeshi community it is very important to maintain language, cultural and religious identity. This is becoming more difficult to maintain as the community disperses across the area.
 
For more information about HIDS services for the Bangladeshi Community, please contact Runi Ahmed (Tel: 023 9268 8390 or Email: runi.ahmed@portsmouthcc.gov.uk). Runi's projects include:-
The Roshni Group,