The Sophie Lancaster Foundation

We wanted to share some touching and really amazing news about a donation that we have received. His Honour Anthony Russell QC, who presided over Sophie’s murder trial in 2008, passed away last summer and left a legacy of £5000 to the Sophie Lancaster Foundation in his will. When Sylvia died in 2022, we had some very thoughtful correspondence from Judge Russell, which included his memories of Sylvia and the trial, and which he gave us his permission to publish. Sylvia was forever grateful to Judge Russell for recognising Sophie’s murder as a hate crime and sentencing accordingly. He stated very clearly that no change in the law was needed to recognise alternative subculture hate crime and this recognition of an unmonitored strand of hate crime meant the world to Sylvia. Judge Russell’s legacy reflects his belief in the work that we do and we are honoured to have been remembered in this way. There’s no more fitting way to end this than with the tribute Judge Russell wrote about Sylvia and we have included it again today. His personal qualities shine through in his writing. We owe him our thanks for so much. May he rest in peace. https://lnkd.in/dJwzBZTh #WeAreSophie

In this National Hate Crime Awareness Week, we want to share some of the comments we have received from the alternative community, showing how hate crime has affected them. No one should be made to suffer because of their identity. Please report hate crime if it happens to you, we know that can be hard but it is the only way to find support and begin to change things. Do get in touch with us if we can help.   “Most of my experience was when I was younger from 'friends' and my own family. It was hardly even classed as bullying when I was in school and actually became worse when someone found out I was self-harming. I wasn't offered help from anyone except my best friend (now my husband), and I'm ashamed of all of the adults that had the opportunity to help me and chose to call me disgusting instead.”

In this National Hate Crime Awareness Week, we want to share some of the comments we have received from the alternative community, showing how hate crime has affected them. No one should be made to suffer because of their identity. Please report hate crime if it happens to you, we know that can be hard but it is the only way to find support and begin to change things. Do get in touch with us if we can help.   “I had my jaw broken in 3 places when I was pushed to the ground & repeatedly kicked in the face. The incident started with verbal harassment then escalated. I was attacked by 5 people because of the way I look.”

In this National Hate Crime Awareness Week, we want to share some of the comments we have received from the alternative community, showing how hate crime has affected them. No one should be made to suffer because of their identity. Please report hate crime if it happens to you, we know that can be hard but it is the only way to find support and begin to change things. Do get in touch with us if we can help.   “I have been followed, I was even followed by a group of men when I was heavily pregnant as they shouted harassment at me one evening. I have been called names online, messaged abuse, had people make fun of me and people take pictures of me in public. I have been laughed at and heckled several times by large groups of people, usually teenagers, usually boys and usually when I am alone. I also have lots of alternative friends who have been made fun of for their appearance.”

In this National Hate Crime Awareness Week, we want to share some of the comments we have received from the alternative community, showing how hate crime has affected them. No one should be made to suffer because of their identity. Please report hate crime if it happens to you, we know that can be hard but it is the only way to find support and begin to change things. Do get in touch with us if we can help.   “I have suffered abuse for being a member of the alternative subculture on and off for 22 years. As a result, I have crippling anxiety and I avoid large crowds of people I suspect would direct abuse towards me. My 14 year old daughter has followed in my footsteps and is goth. She gets quite a lot of abuse online and at school for being who she is. This needs to change.”

Thanks to a grant from The National Lottery Community Fund, we aim to change things for the better through our ACT against hate crime project and radically transform hate crime experiences for the alternative community. We are so grateful for this funding and will share our plans over the coming weeks 🖤 #WeAreSophie #Thenationallotterycommunityfund

In this National Hate Crime Awareness Week, we want to share some of the comments we have received from the alternative community, showing how hate crime has affected them. No one should be made to suffer because of their identity. Please report hate crime if it happens to you, we know that can be hard but it is the only way to find support and begin to change things. Do get in touch with us if we can help. “In high school I got physically assaulted at least once every two months and I got verbally abused daily a lot of people told me to kill myself or go slit my wrists and now I’m 18 and I’m in college the physical assault has mellowed out however the verbal abuse hasn’t. I was walking to college not too long ago and a guy tried to set my hair on fire. I also recently got chased out of a park by school kids who were just being vile and what not. At this point I’m kind of used to the abuse that comes with my identity but it’s not right that I have to be. Simply that more should be done to stop this. It is important that people should feel safe expressing how they truly feel in themselves. It is so, so important. Breaks my heart. It should be reported on more.”

World Mental Health Day is celebrated annually on October 10th, encouraging all to come together to talk about mental health and show that mental health matters. If you are struggling with your own mental health, please try to talk to someone. We know that is not always easy, but it is so important to not go through this alone. If you do not have friends or family you can confide in, there are brilliant agencies who understand and are there to help. #WeAreSophie

There's only 5 days to go until National Hate Crime Awareness Week and once again, we have devised a completely FREE resource to help primary and secondary schools make the most out of the week and ensure the message is clear that our schools and communities are no place for hate. National Hate Crime Awareness Week (12th – 19th October) starts a national campaign to bring people together across the UK to advocate against all forms of hate crime and make communities a safer place to be. The week highlights the importance of standing up to all forms of hate, supporting communities who may face prejudice and hateful behaviours, as well as educating all ages about what hate crime is, how it affects those involved and how to be an upstander. The Sophie Lancaster Foundation National Hate Crime Awareness Week 2024 Resource includes a Primary and Secondary presentation and assembly plan which covers hate crime, hateful behaviours, alternative subcultures and being an upstander. To download, visit https://lnkd.in/ex7q49Ua. #WeAreSophie

National Hate Crime Awareness Week starts a national campaign to bring people together across the UK to advocate against all forms of hate crime and make communities a safer place to be. National Hate Crime Awareness week runs from October 12th to October 19th and highlights the importance of standing up to all forms of hate, supporting communities who may face prejudice and hateful behaviour, as well as educating all ages about what hate crime is, how it affects those involved and how to be an upstander. Once again, we have devised a completely FREE resource to help primary and secondary schools make the most out of Hate Crime Awareness Week and ensure that the message that our schools and communities are no place for hate is clear. The resource includes an assembly plan and presentation. To download, visit https://lnkd.in/df4gpFiA Together we can Stamp Out Prejudice, Hatred and Intolerance Everywhere.