Cardiff Council Update: 21 June 2022

Here is our latest update, covering: tomorrow's launch of Cardiff's Great Get Together, supporting diversity and inclusion; more Schools of Sanctuary announced as we mark Refugee Week 2022; and ‘Sully' honoured by Rugby League World Cup organisers.

Great Get Together in Cardiff to support diversity and inclusion

Cardiff is to celebrate the life and work of murdered MP Jo Cox by staging a Great Get Together in one of the city's most culturally diverse suburbs.

The event, which will be launched on Wednesday, June 22, on the steps of the Senedd, is an opportunity for communities across Cardiff to unite and share experiences over a weekend of artistic, religious and sporting events.

It will also honour the memory of the Labour MP and civil rights campaigner. A passionate humanitarian, she was murdered by a far-right supremacist in 2016 as she was about to hold a constituency surgery in Yorkshire. In her first speech in Parliament, she said: "We are far more united and have far more in common than that which divides us."

The Jo Cox Foundation stages Great Get Togethers every year around the UK on the anniversary of her birth.

The core of Cardiff's Great Get Together will take place on Saturday, June 25, at the Grangetown Festival in Grange Pavilion. The Great Walk Together is a guided tour of the area, focusing on the wide diversity of religions and places of worship and begins at the Betty Campbell statue in the city centre at 1pm and ends at the Pavilion.

Also planned for the Saturday is a cricket match, football activities, and music from Cardiff's Choir With No Name at 1pm. On Sunday, there will also be a community barbecue at St Mary's Church in Grangetown.

Cllr Julie Sangani, Cardiff Council's Cabinet member for Public Health and Equalities, said the Great Get Together offered a perfect opportunity for the city's many ethnic groups to show unity - and have a great time. "Jo Cox's message was ‘More in Common' and was the guiding principle of her life in politics," she said.

The Great Get Together comes at the end of Refugee Week which this year takes as its theme ‘community, mutual care, and the human ability to start again'. As part of the celebrations, St Mary's Primary School in Grangetown will be honoured as a ‘School of Sanctuary' for its work in making refugee children welcome.

Three Cardiff Primary Schools achieve Schools of Sanctuary Award as city celebrates Refugee Week 2022

During Refugee Week 20th - 26th June 2022, Cardiff celebrates three of the city's primary schools becoming official Schools of Sanctuary.

St Monica's Church in Wales Primary School in Cathays, Herbert Thompson Primary School in Ely and St David's Church in Wales Primary School in Pentwyn have committed to creating a culture of welcome and inclusion for refugees and people seeking asylum.

To achieve the award, each school has demonstrated an understanding of what it means for someone to be seeking sanctuary and create a welcoming and caring environment for people in need of help.

Cabinet Member for Education, Employment and Skills, Cllr Sarah Merry said: "Cardiff has a history steeped in diversity and we proudly welcome people from across the world, helping them to feel equal and valued members of society.

"A School of Sanctuary helps pupils, staff and the wider community to understand what it means to be seeking sanctuary and supports the ongoing commitment to ensuring that school is a welcoming place for all.

"Congratulations to staff, pupils and parents of St Monica's Church in Wales Primary School, Herbert Thompson and St David's Church in Wales Primary Schools for their hard work and dedication in achieving this award.

"As a Council, we are encouraging all of our schools to become Schools of Sanctuary as part of Cardiff's pledge to be a City of Sanctuary, making it a welcoming place of safety for all and offering sanctuary to people fleeing violence and persecution."

Cardiff's ‘Sully' honoured by organisers of 2022 Rugby League World Cup

Clive Sullivan, the Cardiff-born sporting legend set to be immortalised by a new statue in his home city, is to be honoured at this year's Rugby League World Cup.

Born in Splott in 1943, Sullivan was the first black sportsman to captain a British national team and the last man to lead a British team to World Cup glory, when his remarkable try against Australia in the 1972 event helped Great Britain to win the title.

Though he died of cancer in 1985 aged just 42, his fame in Cardiff has long been assured and he is revered as one of rugby's ‘Codebreakers' - the players who controversially switched from the amateur ranks of rugby union to become paid rugby league stars. Some battled racism and prejudice before being hailed as heroes in the north of England.

Now Sullivan's fame will reach a new generation of rugby league fans as this year's tournament organisers have named the match ball to be used in all 61 games across the men's, women's and wheelchair events the ‘Sully Ball'.

It was unveiled at the MKM Stadium, the home of Hull FC where Sullivan remains the all-time leading try-scorer, and the honour recognises Sullivan as one of Wales' greatest sportsmen who represents the core values of the tournament and the history of rugby league and acknowledges the significant impact he had on the sport.

"My father would be both honoured and humbled to see his achievements recognised in this manner," said Anthony Sullivan, himself a former Wales dual code international. "For all the family it will be very special to see him appreciated in this way and for his name to positively impact future generations within the sport."

In Cardiff, Sullivan will be one of three ‘Codebreakers' - alongside Billy Boston and Gus Risman, all from the Butetown and Tiger Bay areas of the city - featured on a huge bronze statue now being sculpted by renowned artist Steve Winterburn. It will mark the contribution to the sport made by 13 players, the so-called ‘Cardiff Bay giants', who made a huge impact on rugby league.

Cardiff Council leader Huw Thomas, the vice-chair of the committee which has so far raised £150,000 towards the statue, said he was thrilled that Sullivan's latest honour has come at a key moment. "The first semi-final of the World Cup will be played on the 50th anniversary of Clive's great try against Australia and I'm sure we will be reminded of what an iconic moment it was.

"We as a council are committed to honouring all the Codebreakers and the statue will take pride of place at a key location in Cardiff Bay and ensure that their stories, and the story of the proud and vibrant multi-cultural community which helped shape them - are never forgotten."

For more information on the Codebreakers and to make a contribution towards the statue, visithttps://www.rugbycodebreakers.co.uk/

For more on the story of Clive Sullivan and to see his iconic try, visit
https://tinyurl.com/59n73btb