We are very pleased and proud to introduce this report. Indeed, we feel that this is more than just a report - more of a diary of a journey that took us to pastures new. A journey that SCIPS was not afraid to take. For this simple reason we are honoured to share it with all those who have an interest in Community Cohesion - we started this project with a very small budget but very willing hearts.

As Staff and Board a lot of interesting things were learned about people from other communities by breaking certain stereotypes and misconceptions. We have a long way to go, particularly when a lot of other factors are working against us. We have much to offer each other - skills, knowledge, a friendly smile. Some things are universal like love and respect for each, no matter what part of the world you are from or what language you speak.

We need to nurture and build on this area of work and my request is that as a Borough, Sandwell need to be proactive and ensure that we attract funding to support this work. This work should not be an add on, it should be embedded into the core services of an organisation - we should not be afraid to challenge racism.

A lot of the work that we undertook in this Breaking Barriers Project was done in partnership - that is the way forward!