Final Comments
We hope that you now feel more knowledgeable about how things work in this country. As a result, we also hope that you are more relaxed, comfortable and confident about your new life here. Please let us know what you think about this document, and indeed about your experiences in Leicestershire and the UK, whether in relation to services or more generally. We would very much appreciate your help here, simply by letting us know what you think. Get in touch with Julian Harrison at Leicestershire County Council (click here for Contact details).
Please also get involved, whether that be in your local community or more formally. As you will now know, there are many local organisations that would always be grateful for your support and an extra pair of hands! There are also local consultation panels, set up to receive views from the community about their services. Community Forums exist all round the county, for example. Leicestershire's Voice exists at a county level. It is a panel of local people that are asked by Leicestershire County Council for their views on a number of issues throughout the year. Information on this can be found on the County Council website (www.leics.gov.uk/index/your_council/haveyoursay/
consultation_citizens_panel_voice.htm) or you could telephone 0116 305 6096.
Another possibility is to become a Citizens Reporter and be a mouthpiece as well as a messenger for your community. Citizens Eye is a new organisation with its roots in Leicestershire's Black and Minority Ethnic Citizens Jury. Why not take a look at their website and see if this is an area in which you might be interested in getting involved? The website address is www.citizenseye.org/.
You don't need to join something to make a contribution to your community. You can make a real difference on an informal basis by simply helping and offering support to people around you. The more you get involved, meet people and make friends, the more enjoyable your life will be here in our City and County.
We have tried in this document to be as accurate as we can. However, there will undoubtedly be errors. Things get out of date very quickly. As a result, we will be reproducing and updating this document at least once a year, so please let us know if any information is wrong, so that we can change things for the next copy.
As we mentioned at the beginning, a very warm welcome to you. We are so pleased and honoured that you have joined our community.