Equals IW is appealing for funds to help in its vital work on the Isle of Wight. Here is the text of a letter being sent out to local institutions seeking support.
You have probably never heard of us, and you wouldn't unless you are newly arrived on the Isle of Wight, you are a woman, possibly from another country, a person with little or no family support, do not speak good English, member of one of the LBGT communities, or a man with similar problems.
That was why the Equals IW group was formed, to provide a solution for those who have found integrating in British society to be difficult.
Our vision is that the Isle of Wight will become an even more inclusive, supportive and friendly place to live, work and visit for all people. We want the Isle of Wight to be a place of true equality of opportunity, with peace and respect for all.
We are working together with other organisations and individuals to achieve this vision. As you will gather from ensuing pages we have been fulfilling this task and following the original objectives. Our activities have encompassed disparate ethnic and cultural groups and notably we have been able to encourage many foreign born women to step forward and participate in traditional British community activity.
All our active members are volunteers and we have no professional workers. Our expenses revolve around hall hires and costs most of which are defrayed by contributions but we still need some top-up finance to keep us going. We are presently preparing a celebration of United Nations Diversity Day in May 2019 and this would involve at least a dozen national and cultural groups on the Island. We are already committed to working with the Mardi Gras and Pride events.
We would welcome your financial support and sponsorship.