Preston’s university is supporting Hate Crime Awareness Week with a Cake Not Hate event.

The event, which is open to the public, is being held at the UCLan Students’ Union.

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As well as encouraging students, staff and local residents to enjoy a slice or two of cake, the event will promote important messages about the need to tackle sexual harassment, hate crime and on-line harassment.

The event will raise awareness of the Yes to Respect campaign, and the Students’ Union third party reporting centre on campus, which allows UCLan students and staff to report hate crime incidents confidentially.

One in a series of events happening throughout the week, Cake not Hate will take place today (Thursday 17 October) from 11am to 2pm.

Other events included a hate crime awareness training session and a community activities day at the Tom Finney Sports Centre dedicated to the memory of MP Jo Cox. A lecture titled Perspectives on Hate Crime included first person testimonies from individuals who had experienced hate crime incidents themselves

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British Red Cross representative Modupe Ainenehi, who spoke of her own experience at the lecture, said: “Experiencing hate crime can be a very distressing experience for someone but it is important not to allow it to overwhelm you. It is important for everyone not to be brought down by hate crime.”

Linda Tompkins, UCLan’s Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Communities Manager said: “Staff, students and local residents have a right to be safe and feel safe, irrespective of their race, religion, disability, sexuality, gender identity or lifestyle choices.

“Hate has no place in Lancashire and UCLan continues to work closely with our local partners, particularly with the Students’ Union, Lancashire Constabulary and Preston City Council to tackle hate crime and hate incidents. We warmly invite the community to attend our programme for Hate Crime Awareness Week which profiles the work and experiences of staff, students and local residents.”

Suntosh Kaur, Students’ Union President, said: “In our society, we should all feel safe to be our authentic selves. Many hate crimes and incidents tend to go unreported, so this week is about having discussions and developing our understanding of what we mean by hate crime. It’s important that anyone can report a hate crime, even if you’re a bystander.”

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Will you be going to Cake Not Hate? Let us know in the comments below.