Outraged mothers spoke of their ”humiliation” today after they were kicked out of a council-funded children’s playgroup – because they were BRITISH.
Emma Knightley, 25, and Kimberley Wildman, 27, turned up at the ‘Making Links’ playgroup with their children Imogen, 21 months, and Olivia, 18 months.
But they were stunned when organisers at the centre in St Neots, Cambs., ordered them to leave after being asked ‘what country are you from’ and they answered ”British”.
The best friends were told that only foreign mums and children are welcome at the council-funded playgroup – which they have accused of ”discrimination”.
Shop worker Emma, from St Neots, Cambs., booked a place at the playgroup six weeks ago after it was recommended by a mixed-race friend.
She said: ”The first thing I was asked about was my nationality and when I said I was British I was told we had to leave.
”She said are you not aware this is for foreign people only?
”I said I knew it was trying to integrate people into the community but didn’t realise that meant British people and their children were banned.
”I felt humiliated. It shouldn’t matter what nationality you are we shouldn’t be discriminated against.
”You wouldn’t get away with a British-only mum and children’s group.
”We want to welcome other nations to the community but turning British people away is not the way to do this.”
Trainee midwife Kimberley, also from St Neots, Cambs., chose the group because it was free – whereas other groups in the area charged £2.
She said: ”They asked me what race I was and I said British. They said I couldn’t come in. It’s ridiculous.
”Surely if this group is about making links in the community they should let all people in, regardless of race or nationality.
”It’s a real shame. I want my children to play with children from other races and integrate in the community because that stops discrimination.
”I can’t believe we were discriminated against because we are British.”
Making Links, which is based at the Priory Centre in St Neots, is funded by a £1,000 annual grant from St Neots Town Council.
The community group is staffed by church volunteers and also receives money from the Co-operative community development fund and the Open Door Church in St Neots.
According to Making Links’ website the group ”seeks to operate in the spirit of the Commission for Racial Equality”.
It’s targets include: ”bringing communities together and facilitating interaction between them”.
The website claims around 50 women attend the weekly sessions every Thursday.
It adds: ”Making Links frees them from feelings of isolation, helps them build multicultural friendships and empowers them with knowledge about the local community.
”Thus Making Links presents a friendly St Neots face to people who might otherwise be outsiders.”
Foreign parents also receive visits from police officers, access to children’s health services and a creche provided by government initiative Sure Start.
The aims of the project are to ”develop cross-cultural friendships”, ”promote cultural identity and self-esteem” and ”promote community relationships with local service providers”.
Roger Owen, administrator for Making Links, said that the group is not a ”typical” playgroup and is funded entirely for women from other nationalities.
He said: ”We believe there are plenty of other alternatives for British mothers in the town.
”We have had an issue with men turning up before and back then we told them the group is strictly for mothers so it’s nothing to do with racial discrimination.”
A spokeswoman for the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said under the Equality Act 2010 it is not unlawful to set up a group especially for a particular ethnic or national group.
Under the act discrimination based on colour is unlawful.
Roger Owen must be the biggest idiot on Earth. Making Links aims to bring communities together? Well, how about British communities??? Foreign mothers are fine to make friends with other foreign mothers, but God forbid if they should try and make friends with any local people!!! This is how us Brits get to hate foreigners!
Hmmm, I understand the policy but I think they have got it wrong. The group would surely benefit from having some local born mothers involved, and to ensure it wasn’t taken over by them a quota could be imposed.
We British in the UK will end up like the North American Indian in the USA and Canada!
You mean you will be given casinos, big tax breaks and you will be free to drink and drive ?
roger owen what a complete t*** these foreighners should be thankful for being aloud in our country send them all back
Same thing happened to my friend in the same playgroup in St. Neots 2 years ago. We just did not have guts to make it public but we did complain to the playgroup leader.
no doubt if you had you would have been accused of being racist – this country has been too easy for foreign nationals to abuse our system and good will, the day will come when we have to say enough is enough
It’s just outrageous
I am shocked this group is run by church volunteers, turning people away because they are from the ‘wrong country’ does not sound very Christian to me.
It would be a totally different story if the foreigners had been turned away and it was a all british group, it would then be a big uproar about racism what an apsolute joke, about time our country was abit harder on forigners coming here an taking over, maybe by making it alot harder for them to claim benefits and getting council houses they might think twice on coming here in the first place.
I am sad to say that i cannot see either the British or American societies surviving without a program of massive deportations. These would necessarily involve those foreigners who do not share our values of individual sovereignty. in America there is a need to expel something on the order of 20 or 30 million native born “intellectuals” who are guilty of the promotion and practice of parasitism.
People pay to get their children into playgroups? Whatever happened to getting to know the neighbors? The natural state of children choosing playmates is usually the least segregational, so take them to the park and let the children sort it out for themselves.
what a miserable country
And this sums up perfectly the “multi racial” society we allegedly all live in!
Sadly we do NOT live in a society that is tolerant of other races and religions, purely because we do not interact enough with each other, and view each other with suspicion and intolerance, and with small pockets of different races and religions all over the country who have no wish to interact socially with people outside of their own race or religion, it doesnt help this problem.
Groups like this one actually perpetuate and adds to an already growing problem, and I believe will cause even more intolerance, as people do not want to be turned away for being british, as it makes us aliens in our own country and that isnt right.
But again sadly this is allowed to continue, with many black and asian only groups across the nation, yet when the boot is on the other foot, and white british people form a group, it is immediately branded racist….how can this be fair? And more importantly how by allowing one, yet alienating another can the intolerance and suspicion be reduced or wiped out……the answer is it cant, as it only makes it worse 🙁
Is Roger Owen living in cloud cuckoo land? How can you integrate communities by barring members? It may not be unlawful, but it’s common sense if you want to integrate communities.
Yes sure there are plenty of british groups out there, but how is that integrating communities?