Diverse Communities Carlisle is less ethnically diverse than the Northwest and England. But racism, race and migration-motivated violence, homophobia, and transphobia are real issues in Carlisle. Everyone has the right to feel safe, accepted and welcome in the community in which they live. There are some very active community organisations dedicated to eradicating these divisive issues and the work of these organisations is extremely important. ETHNIC GROUPS IN CARLISLE In 2021, 96.8% of people in Carlisle identified their ethnic group within the "White" category (compared with 98.1% in 2011)14, compared to 81.7% of people in England and Wales.15 1.5% identified their ethnic group within the "Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh" category; 0.9% identified their ethnic group within the "Mixed or Multiple" category; 0.5% identified as other ethnic group; and 0.3% identified as Black, Black British, Black Welsh, Caribbean or African.16 Multi-cultural activities play a pivotal role in fostering a deeper appreciation of global cultures. Well-established organisations including Multi Cultural Cumbria17 and Carlisle United FC18 contribute to a vibrant events calendar which through the sharing of food, heritage, music, and art create a vibrant atmosphere of cultural exchange, cohesion and understanding. REFUGEES AND ASYLUM SEEKERS Carlisle is a City of Sanctuary which means it offers a welcome and support to refugees and asylum seekers who have fled their country because of war and persecution and need a place of sanctuary. In their journeys they have often endured traumatic experiences and arrive with significant mental and physical health needs, requiring specialised support to help them rebuild their lives. In 2023, Carlisle welcomed 157 Ukrainian refuges, accounting for 20% of arrivals in Cumbria under the UK Government's Homes for Ukraine scheme.19 Between 2014 and 2022, Carlisle permanently resettled 97 refugees, the majority of whom were resettled under the UK Government's Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS).20 This represents 36% of all refugees resettled in Cumbria, more than double that of any other Cumbrian local authority district (according to pre-2023 boundary definitions).21 This may be due to that fact that Carlisle is a local population centre, with more housing and a greater concentration of services than other parts of Cumbria. Some short-term accommodation has also been set up in Carlisle for asylum seekers, who can be moved to other locations after short periods of time. The short amount of time that these individuals are living in Carlisle creates issues when voluntary and community organisations are trying to provide support and limits integration opportunities within host communities. Carlisle has become more diverse over the last 20 years. This is positive with many organisations and volunteers working to welcome and support those coming to the area. Well-established diverse populations are running businesses and activities, linking in as role models to incoming populations. There is also a lot of artistic and cultural talent, that we maybe should be tapping into more. Charity Worker Carlisle has been welcoming to refugees and asylum seekers and people have found it a friendly city to live in. However, social media is divisive and is fuelling racism, anti-immigrant sentiment and islamophobia. We need more education, and more work needs to be done to combat this. Community Leader RACISM Racism is divisive, and people report that it exists in Carlisle. A person’s ‘race’ or ethnicity remains by far the most common motivator for a hate crime to be committed and more than half of Cumbria’s hate crimes are racially motivated.22 In the year ending March 2024, 656 offences for hate crimes were recorded in the Cumbria Police Force area and 680 motivating factors were recorded. The highest percentage of motivating factors were racially motivating factors (54%) compared to the Northwest (62%).23 The number of recorded hate crimes fluctuate year on year. Since April 2015, there have been spikes of racial or religiously aggravated hate crimes that have occurred during, for example, the EU referendum, the 2017 terrorist attacks and the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.24 Organisations such as Carlisle One World Centre,25 Carlisle Refugee Action Group,26 Penrith and Eden Refugee Network (PERN),27 Anti Racist Cumbria28 and Multicultural Cumbria29 are actively working to create inclusive communities, supporting counter protests, aiding community cohesion and increasing understanding. Positive work being undertaken includes volunteering, health, sporting, educational, food culture and celebratory initiatives. However, when compared with other cities in the UK, parts of the sector feel that there is scope to do more. Racism does happen in majority white areas. We need more proactive work to take place to combat racism in the community and also with service providers. Engagement in multiculturalism and multicultural activities has been really positive and there's been a strong response in the recent race riots in other places to say that ‘this is not Carlisle’. Community Leader Carlisle: Opportunities & Challenges 2025 68 69
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