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Over the past few months we've been working with EDP Training, who delivered four anti-racism training sessions to employees. Based in Bristol, EDP runs training sessions about anti-racism and mental health first aid, to increase awareness of systemic racism and its effect on mental health.

The training covered a range of topics, including best practice for being an anti-racist ally and the impact of racist micro-aggressions. Participants also learned about and discussed the history of racism, and what steps they can take to remove barriers to volunteer and staff recruitment.

Hayley Pirouet, Director of People and Support, outlined our reason for taking part in the training: "At St Peter's Hospice, we want to foster an inclusive environment where diversity is celebrated, and every employee feels valued and respected.  As part of our continued work to raise awareness within our workforce, I'm really pleased that we're offering this training to help colleagues recognise the importance of understanding and addressing systemic racism.  The training is a crucial step in our journey towards creating a workplace that not only reflects the diversity of the communities we serve, but also promotes equity and justice."

Colleagues who took part said that the training challenged them in a positive way and gave them tactics to implement anti-racist actions into their everyday lives. Additionally, employees who took part in the training said they felt that it had an impact on both their professional and personal lives. 

Molly from our fundraising team said: "I found the course so interesting and learned a lot about what it means to be actively anti-racist both in the workplace but also in day-to-day life. It was a really engaging session."

Louisa, one of our Retail Trainers, added that she thought the course was a reminder of the importance of continual learning and growth. She said: "I learnt so much and shamefully was reminded about how little I knew to start with. I found it to be incredibly informative, and shocking in places, just because I was unaware of so much. It provoked really good discussions."

A key outcome from each session was an action plan, intended to ensure that we all implement powerful measurable actions. We're now working to feed these action plans into our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion strategy (ED&I). This will include evaluating our recruitment processes, to ensure we are reaching a diverse range of applicants and reducing bias.

Susan Hamilton, St Peter's Hospice CEO, said: "We still live in an unjust and unequal society so there is a need for a collective response. This year, we've prioritised ED&I and we're currently working on a strategy for the Hospice, which will set out our ambitions and deliverables over the next few years. Our training with EDP has been an important piece of work which will not only help us on our journey to become a more inclusive and diverse workforce but will also help us to better serve all communities across the Bristol area."

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Community Engagement