Equality, Politics, Wales

The Olive Trust, Wales is an organisation I set up, in order to deal with discrimination, and to hold a Holocaust Memorial Day on 27th January every year, named The Hilary Rose Memorial, after my mother.

We do not know when we will be able to resume public events but are thinking we could hold a virtual live event.

Like the fabulous live LGBTQ+ event held online on August 8th.

Who knows? It means the vulnerable, such as the over 70’s may not be able to attend a physical event, even with social distancing and as we have to plan now, seems like this is the way to go.

Those who are suffering from a chronic disease may also be left out of events or being out and about.

As statistics show, Diabetes sufferers are more at risk, as well as those from the BAME community (Black, Asian, Minority, Ethnic) from COVID.

It is a mystery why these categories have a different type of immune response.

Evidence suggests, there is a higher mortality risk amongst these groups but not consistent, amongst groups.

This increased risk in vulnerability is not completely understood.

It could be over-representation in lower socio-economic communities and multi-generational households.

Health and care workers are more at risk, to exposure and in key worker roles, where these groups are employed in higher numbers.

They also have more Diabetes Type 2 in their communities as well as renal issues.

COVID-19 has seen an end to school meals for low income families where food banks in our area are open to support anyone affected, and those from lower- income families.

The Demos Think Tank is advocating the transition to healthy foods for those who are in need.

This, with an obesity strategy that advocates the healthy choice to be the easy choice.

A healthy start scheme supports women and children from low income families to access milk, fruit, vegetables and vitamins.

Unfortunately, salt, sugar and fat are cheap and tasty, contributing to the obesity crisis, where diet choices are based on cost, not health. More funding from the government is needed for healthy foods in local shops as well as meat alternatives.

There will also be support for fast food outlets to have healthy alternatives available and for standardised packaging – like those used for tobacco products that serve as a warning for the unhealthiest of foods.

Half the nation’s children are predicted to suffer with childhood obesity by 2030, that is difficult to imagine in a post-COVID society.

With this in mind The Olive Trust, Wales are contributing healthy food to the food bank in Burry Port.

I watched ‘Hidden Wales’. on the BBC, that featured Llanelli, Burry port, Pembrey and Carmarthen showing shipwrecks on the 800 acre Cefn Siddan, Pembrey, which was truly fascinating.

Gangs on the shores used to light beacons to trick ships into coming ashore where they would get beached on the sand and get wrecked.

They were then looted quite viciously, by ‘men with the little hatchets’ who would have a claw and hatchet to chop the ship’s crew or those on board’s fingers off, to steal their rings.

Then, showing the spectacular coastline of West Wales, the tin works in Kidwelly, that exported saucepans all over the world and an underground nuclear bunker, under a Carmarthen car park.

What struck me and made my husband, son and I very emotional was the munitions factory in Llanelli during WWII, where the women worked under extreme conditions whilst their men were fighting on the front line.

They breathed in fumes daily which affected their health, and many were having fits daily, with hair turning green and their skin yellow.

Others died as munitions blew up.

What became apparent was that most of us do not know about the contribution Wales made to the war effort, the extreme conditions they worked in and the absence of thanks for their contribution.

I and the Olive Trust, Wales are so very grateful for your contribution.

Thank you so very much and really, it should be remembered in the hearts of our nation.