Sponsored by
Chinese group is bidding for £19k
A NEW group dedicated to promoting Hartlepool's Chinese community has been formed.
Hartlepool Chinese Association was created to help bring the town's Chinese population and the wider community together.
The group has applied for grants totalling 19,000 to run a series of courses in tai chi, calligraphy, acupuncture and language classes.
Sandra Chow, chairperson of the association, said: "We want to improve the health education and social life not just for Chinese but for the wider community.
"We also aim to help both communities integrate and through these activities we can achieve that."
Sandra, 47, said the association hopes to promote a greater understanding between the two cultures.
She said: "Most of us work in Chinese takeaways and have suffered verbal abuse, however, we also have some inquiries from the public about what Chinese people do and what they think, so we came up with the idea for the association."
The association plans to run the wide variety of activities from October, subject to getting the funding.
It has applied to the National Lottery, Tees Valley Foundation and for a public health grant.
There are currently around 300 Chinese people living in and around Hartlepool and members of the group include takeaway workers and others from the public and private sectors.
Sandra said: "We are going to have qualified acupuncture sessions, tai chi and kung fu exercise classes, outings and Chinese language classes.
"A lot of people have shown an interest in them and want to attend. They will be open to everyone."
Leaders have been offered advice and support from Hartlepool Voluntary Development Agency, in Victoria Road.
Peter Gowland, from HVDA, said: "There are no other Chinese associations in Hartlepool. "This is the first one.
"We have helped the association with the logistics like booking rooms, setting up a constitution and advice on who they can network with in the community."
The group currently meets at Grange Road Resource Centre in Tankerville Street, Hartlepool.
Anyone interested in finding out more about Hartlepool Chinese Association can email sandrachow@life.co.uk
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Hartlepool
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Light sleet
Temperature: 0 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: -3 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: South
