Shariqua Ahmed

  

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Explore a selection of my work below

BBC News •

Faith, food and community: Indian Christmas in the UK

In a kitchen in Peterborough, Christmas begins weeks before 25 December. A rich fruit cake is baking, its fruits soaked for more than a month - a tradition passed down through one Indian Christian family for decades."My husband has always baked the Christmas cake," Cathy George, who lives in Netherton, said. "We've been married for over 31 years, and that's how it's always been."Ms George belongs to the Indian Syrian Christian community from Kerala in southern India. She said few people in Brita...
BBC News •

Lack of Changing Places toilets is 'frustrating'

Families have spoken of their frustration at the lack of specialist Changing Places toilets (CPTs) in Peterborough. The large accessible toilets for disabled people - including hoists, changing benches and space for carers were made compulsory for new buildings in England in 2020.Louise Ravenscroft, a Peterborough mum to two adult children with complex needs, said she had been campaigning for these toilets for more than 20 years.There are four CPTs in the city including at Car Haven Car park an...
BBC News •

Peterborough council chooses bidder for site housing Hindu temple

The complex on Rock Road contains seven community-use units including the Bharat Hindu Samaj, which told the BBC it was one of the bidders seeking to buy the building.The Hindu temple was established in 1986 and is used by worshippers from across Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Lincolnshire and Leicestershire.Dinesh Odera, who attended Tuesday's cabinet meeting on behalf of the temple, called the situation "confusing", but said the community believed "their bid to buy the building has bee...
BBC News •

Former councillor avoids jail after drink-driving crash

A judge told a former councillor he "narrowly escaped" jail after crashing into a school's wall while drink-driving at high speed and injuring four people.Shaz Nawaz, 47, of Park Road, Peterborough, claimed to be a "non-drinker" but consumed alcohol to soothe a toothache, Huntingdon Law Courts heard.Nawaz, the former leader of Peterborough City Council's Labour group, crashed his BMW on Park Road at 19:10 GMT on 16 March, with three children and a woman in the car.Judge Jonathan Seely told Nawaz...
BBC News •

Peterborough school's water safety scheme in memory of Jack Lloyd

A city school is launching a swimming project in memory of a teenager who died after getting into difficulty at a lake.Peterborough's Hampton Vale Primary Academy plans to install a portable pop-up pool in its playground by the Easter term, so about 400 pupils can have swimming lessons.Sixteen-year-old Jack Lloyd, a student at Peterborough College, drowned at the Crown Lakes Country Park on 3 April.PE teacher Scott Collins, who taught Jack at Hampton Vale, says the scheme is vital because of the...
BBC News •

Disabled bay misuse puts Send families 'in danger

Families of children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) said misuse of disabled parking areas was making life stressful and unsafe. Cambridgeshire charity Little Miracles said it received regular complaints about people using bays improperly, forcing parents "to unload medically fragile children in dangerous areas".One mother from Peterborough said drivers often parked so close to her car it was impossible to extend her daughter's wheelchair ramp, while others said holders of...
BBC News •

Children no longer housed in B&Bs, says Peterborough City Council

Children are no longer being housed in bed-and-breakfast (B&B) accommodation following a campaign to end the practice, a council said.Peterborough Citizens, an alliance of schools and charities, had called on Peterborough City Council to stop placing families in B&Bs after schools said the arrangements were having "a significant impact" on pupils.The authority said the campaign had helped drive a 73% reduction in the use of B&Bs to house homeless people since December 2024 and no children were n...
BBC News •

Budget must focus on housing, says shelter resident

A man experiencing homelessness said he hoped the government would focus on increasing accessibility to housing in its upcoming Budget. Josh, 26, who is currently a resident at the night shelter Jimmy's in Cambridge, said the availability of council housing and "move-on housing" - shared accommodation where people can receive support - was important. Chancellor Rachel Reeves will deliver Labour's second budget on 26 November. Cambridge City Council received 1,139 homelessness applications betwe...
BBC News •

Cambridgeshire Police launch internal review into knife incidents

A police force has launched an internal review into three knife-related incidents that are being investigated for possible links to the train attack suspect. Cambridgeshire Police said it was re-examining an attack on a 14-year-old boy and two reports of a knifeman at a barbers' shop in Peterborough between Friday and Saturday.Darryl Preston, Cambridgeshire's police and crime commissioner, said he asked Simon Megicks, the county's chief constable, to review these incidents which occurred prior t...
BBC News •

Peterborough mosques tighten security after harassment incident

Mr Choudhuri said: "As you know, mosques are open all the time during the day. People can come and go. Steps are being taken to tighten our belts on security matters."I want the community to be vigilant. We welcome anybody who comes, but we just have to be more careful than before."Mr Choudhuri said the community is determined "not to let people creating Islamophobia win", and that planned activities and classes at all the mosques will go ahead."This incident happened at a mosque... tomorrow it...
BBC News •

Hindu temple in Peterborough feels 'let down' over sale of site

Members of a city's Hindu community said they felt let down after the news that their temple site could be sold by a council to help balance its budget.The Bharat Hindu Samaj Temple was established in the New England Complex in Peterborough in 1986.The complex is owned by Peterborough City Council and its sale forms part of the authority's ongoing efforts to reduce debts by selling its assets.Kishore Ladwa, the temple's president, said the group was "feeling devastated and the council's decision...
BBC News •

Widow loses £500,000 in 'romance scam'

A police force says "education is key" in preventing romance fraud, after a woman in her 70s was scammed out of more than £500,000 and left homeless.Dave York, of the Cambridgeshire Police cyber and fraud prevention team, said it saw four incidents a week, but that bringing criminals to justice was "often almost impossible".The victim was deceived by a fraudster claiming to be the Hollywood actor Jason Mamoa, who promised her a new life in a luxury house in Hawaii."To the outsider it is complete...
BBC News •

Pigeon infestation at unfinished Peterborough Hilton hotel

An unfinished Hilton hotel had been hit with a "pigeon infestation and water ingress", a council report said.In 2017, Peterborough City Council borrowed £15m and loaned it to developers to build The Garden Inn Hotel at Fletton Quays. By 2020, the project had stalled, and the firm went bankrupt in 2023.The local authority is now hoping a buyer comes along to purchase the hotel, which could help them recoup the investment.According to cabinet report, external papers, there was water ingress on the...
BBC News •

'Martial arts champion is role model'

A 16-year-old who has won six medals at a martial arts world championship event has been described by her school head as a role model for young people.Lana Strickland, from Stilton in Cambridgeshire, won two golds and four bronzes having competed in seven kickboxing and taekwondo categories.The Year 12 student, who attends Hampton College in Peterborough, said she felt proud to represent England at the World Martial Arts Committee games in Hull last week."She is an exceptional athlete and has ma...
BBC News •

Arts project challenges disability stereotypes

A city's arts organisation is marking 30 years of the Disability Discrimination Act with championing slogans and artwork about deafness, disability, and/or neurodivergence (DDN).The Reasonable Adjustments (RAD) project by Peterborough Presents aims to tackle stereotypes and raise awareness about making spaces more inclusive for people with DDN."Mind the gap in equality" and "If society was inclusive and accessible, I could flourish" are among messages printed on about 100 T-shirts displayed acro...
BBC News •

Street artist restores his defaced unity mural

A street artist has repainted his unity mural of two hands making a fist pump after it was defaced by graffiti.Nathan Murdoch, 39, from the organisation Street Arts Hire, said he first painted the artwork in 2020 on the wall of an underpass in near Bourges Boulevard, Peterborough, to convey the message of "mutual respect".The mural, which was commissioned by Diaspora Arts and Education Charity, was defaced earlier this year, which left Mr Murdoch feeling "upset". He said it was "a strange time i...
BBC News •

Couple distraught after pet killed in dog attack

A man said he has been left distraught after his dog was killed and he was injured after they were attacked by three dogs.Przemek Bednarczyk said the incident took place when he was walking his Hungarian Vizsla, Archie, in the fields near the Bretton Crematorium in Peterborough on 12 September at about 19:30 BST.Mr Bednarczyk, who lives in Ravensthorpe, said three dogs - all of whom he said were off leads - ran towards him and Archie before attacking them. "It was like a lion attacking a gazelle...
BBC News •

Peterborough teen died after jump into cold lake, inquest hears

A teenager died from drowning after voluntarily jumping into a cold lake, an inquest has heard.Emergency services were called to the Crown Lakes Country Park near Peterborough following reports of a boy getting into difficulty in the water at about 16:00 BST on 3 April.The body of Jack Lloyd,16, was recovered from the water just after midnight the following day by police divers.Coroner Simon Milburn said that based on the evidence Jack was seen "struggling as soon as he hit the water and was fla...
BBC News •

Peterborough Uber drivers strike over pay and conditions

More than 50 Uber taxi drivers lined up at a city's train station as part of a strike against the company's pay and working conditions.Drivers operating across Peterborough gathered outside the train station and some at Maskew Avenue Retail Park.Mehtab Anwar, 30, a full-time Uber driver and one of the organisers, said drivers would be on strike for 48 hours until Sunday morning.An Uber spokesperson said it was working with a union to "improve the experience of driving with Uber".

More than 50 U...
BBC News •

Peterborough residents demand hotline to tackle flytipping

Residents frustrated with fly-tipping blighting their village called for a dedicated hotline to report the crime.At a meeting with Peterborough City Council officers on Thursday, people living in and around Eye, Thorney, and Newborough demanded stronger deterrents, tougher fines and faster action to deal with the issue.Val Alemanno, who has lived in the area for more than 50 years, described Eyebury Road as the "worst hotspot," with a "ridiculous" amount of rubbish being dumped.Alex Morley, of W...
BBC News •

Peterborough boxing gym prepares traveller teen for England debut

A boxing club that is helping young people from diverse communities stay off the streets is preparing a fighter to make his international debut.Jerry-Mike,15, attends Top Yard School of Boxing in Peterborough, and is about to represent England at a tri-nations boxing championship starting on 28 May in Cardiff.The teenager from Wisbech said being a traveller brought extra challenges for him, adding that it had "pushed" him to work harder.His ultimate dream is to be an undisputed champion, which i...
BBC News •

Rowing club empowers blind and partially sighted

A group of visually impaired rowers say a piece of simple technology is empowering more people to take up the sport.Kate Lindgren was the first blind rower to join Peterborough City Rowing Club eight years ago.She helped set up the Row the Rhythm project last year to support blind or partially sighted participants, and there are now 15 at the club from across Cambridgeshire.A coach involved in the project said a Bluetooth headset used by the rowers to communicate was "life-changing".

A group of...
BBC News •

Charity blown away by support to keep green space

A charity fighting to save its open green space from being turned into a housing development said it had been "blown away" by the community's support.The Green Backyard forms part of a plot on London Road, where Peterborough City Council suggested 48 homes could be built under its draft Local Plan, external.On Saturday, more than 600 people attended a community day to campaign against the idea.City artist Nathan Murdoch from Street Arts Hire supported the event by painting a mural of a girl tryi...
BBC News •

Families fear closure of Peterborough vulnerable adults hub

More than 700 people have signed a petition calling for a hub that coaches people with learning disabilities to be saved from closure.The Industrial Hub in Peterborough, which is part of City College's Day Opportunities programme, offers work experience and training.Families fear the service will shut in June. Vivienne Haresign said the closure would "destroy" her 58-year-old brother Tony Sanders.Peterborough City Council said those affected "will be supported to source alternative opportunities...
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