Ely and district ‘community champion’ Lis Every has spoken of her work over the past year in the role created by the county council two years ago.

Cllr Every is one of five councillors given an extra £5,000 responsibility pay to take on the job and she's reported on her past year's work to the communities and partnership committee.

One successful outcome, she says, has been the setting of two hate crime reporting organisations in Ely and Littleport and she says she's working with others for a third at Soham.

Cllr Every said: "We have also been developing positive engagement with young people through the East Cambridgeshire District Council youth strategy which is now agreed as a policy with initial research being undertaken with relevant stakeholders."

It also the end of the first phase of the Opportunities Area Fund for schools in East Cambridgeshire which promotes social mobility.

"The next phase is being planned with stakeholders," she said.

Other work has included supporting recruitment campaigns on re-ablement, new foster carers and participants on to the health and social care academy programmes and adult skills courses.

Her report also notes her involvement in supporting a group of young people in Ely and area on building a skate park, working on feasibility studies and finding a site.

"Extensive collaborative work and sources of funding are required," she says.

Cllr Every also refers to the strategic plan for Littleport which will include working on the village becoming a dementia friendly community.

She says much work has been done on building and developing school/business links through business organisations and working on school programmes which will include a careers exhibition in November.

"Other employability events are being planned which will result in employability work being developed," she said. "Organisations affected are all the secondary schools in the district, Bishop Laney Sixth Form plus an employability unit being planned for a pilot group of our care leavers based at Cambridge Regional College."

The Eyes and Ears Project (supporting communities) developed in East Cambridgeshire has evolved further with new adaptable leaflets, including domestic violence, slavery, hate crime and scams. There are plans for this to be disseminated throughout the area.