Professional footballers and firefighters are two strong role models in our communities, particularly in terms of both professionalism and teamwork. Oxfordshire County Council Fire and Rescue Service and Oxford United Football Club would like to deliver a closer partnership as they are both organisations that aim to be prominent in their stance against all forms of discrimination.
The aim of our partnership is to focus on raising awareness and promote anti-discrimination, equality and diversity and inclusion within our communities. To this end, the two organisations have produced a diary of events for the year ahead, starting with Saturday's launch at the Kassam Stadium.
Fire service staff and Oxford United footballers come from all walks of life, regardless of sex, religion or ethnicity. What they all have in common is self-reliance, confidence, respect, enthusiasm, team spirit and a willingness to be ready for anything when they are alerted to an emergency.
We recognise that all individuals have fundamental human rights and therefore adopt a rights-based approach to equality. We will develop practices that promote the right for everyone to participate in all aspects of life by promoting initiatives which remove barriers to participation and by actively promoting equality and social inclusion.
We will have regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other unacceptable conduct, to promote equality of opportunity and to promote good relations between all persons with respect to their disability, sex, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, transgender status or gender reassignment, age, marital status and pregnancy or maternity.
These are all values that are shared by Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service and Oxford United and we are pleased and proud to promote them together.
Rob MacDougall, Chief Fire Officer at Oxfordshire County Council was our guest at the Training Ground yesterday and took time out of his busy schedule to talk us through the partnership: