Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service (MFRS) recently commemorated the start of Lunar New Year with celebrations, both at Service Headquarters and out in the community.
MFRS crews and staff joined the celebrations in Liverpool’s China Town on Sunday, 22 January, while members of our REACH (Race Equality and Cultural Heritage) staff network also visited different departments at Service Headquarters with gestures of good fortune and prosperity for the coming year.
Among the gifts were White rabbit candies, a famous Chinese chewy sweet, lai see (the Cantonese name for red envelopes) and mandarin oranges, which are seen as symbolic of bringing riches into your life.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Our <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MFRS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MFRS</a> staff and crews are out in Liverpool City Centre today celebrating the start of Lunar New Year.<br><br>We wish you a happy and prosperous Year of the Rabbit! 🐇 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LunarNewYear?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LunarNewYear</a> <a href="https://t.co/OuSPJtWTNj">pic.twitter.com/OuSPJtWTNj</a></p>— Mersey Fire (@MerseyFire) <a href="https://twitter.com/MerseyFire/status/1617170248167309312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Another highlight of the week was REACH network members and Service Headquarters catering staff working together to organise a special lunch of Chinese noodle soup. In Chinese culture, noodles are a key part of Lunar New Year celebrations because they symbolise long life.
Chris Man, Chair of Race Equality & Cultural Heritage Staff Network said: “Lunar New Year is a special time of year for many people, especially our Chinese and south-east Asian communities here in Merseyside, and we’ve enjoyed sharing in the celebrations both with the wider community at the China Town festivities and within the organisation with our special lunch in the canteen.
“One of the aims of our REACH network is to ensure all staff feel valued and included at work. Sharing knowledge and bringing people together to celebrate about different cultural holidays throughout the year is an important part of this.”