Day 6 Nottingham

Balls to Poverty

We had our first BNP member/supporter turn up at the bus yesterday. I kid you not, he was staggering drunk with his flies undone and waving a copy of the BNP newspaper at our driver Kev who was parked up in Bulwell market’s main street having a quiet and healthy snack.

Kev’s come into his own a bit this year. Previously he had an aversion to curry (not good if you’re on a HOPE not hate activity for any length of time) but he’s already downed three on this tour and done his postal vote in case he’s called upon to drive another bus out of the country when our sojourn ends. Some sojourn!

"It was like being pestered by a wasp," growled Kevin, but fortunately for Kevin and unfortunately for BNP man, there were half a dozen trade unionists he had not noticed ready to swat the "wasp" when he finally turned around (with flies still undone) and made his hasty exit.

We were in Bulwell market at the invitation of Unite the Union’s Kevin Hepworth, who insisted small market towns get to see the bus and the people there get engagement on issues like racism and fascism. His last minute call-out to activists brought half a dozen activists to the town to distribute the Midlands paper and leaflets.

The morning had a Unite theme too. We caught up with our old friends from Unite who sponsored "Balls to Poverty", the sports coaching program of South Notts College. As well as coaching certificates (and rather spiffy looking sports apparel) these young men aged 16-19 get to go to South Africa and experience real poverty and working in testing conditions as a part of their course. As each one of them testifies, they come back irreversibly "changed" and committed to social justice and anti-racism.

Yesterday, Balls to Poverty was running coaching courses at a special school just outside Nottingham. The school is for young people aged three to nineteen with severe and multiple disabilities. "It’s a good challenge for the young coaches to work with people with disabilities", head of school sport Adam Beazeley told us.

"We want our young coaches to give something back to the community, and we believe that communities should be as inclusive as they are challenging.

"We also want everyone to enjoy football and what you can see here is people having fun and people learning together. Some of the people here are as old, if not older, than the people coaching them, so we learn to work together and respect each other.

"We also want everyone to enjoy football and what you can see here is people having fun and people learning together. Some of the people here are as old, if not older, than the people coaching them, so we learn to work together and respect each other."

The staff at the school are incredibly dedicated to their work and the young people, running around offering encouragement and well-earned "high-fives" as the goals flew in.

We’ve met pop-stars and actors so far on this tour and there will be many more as the bus continues, but few things are more inspiring than meeting people who make real improvements to people’s lives and bring change and commitment to communities.

When you compare these people with the sickening attitudes and comments made by the BNP’s Jeff Marshall about people with disabilities, you know that we just have to win and have to defeat the BNP with greater commitment than ever before.