The woman at the centre of an alleged racist incident at Nottingham Castle says that a meeting is being held there next month to try and begin "healing wounds". Panya Banjoko, who curated an exhibition at the attraction, claimed her two grandchildren were the victims of a hate incident in the castle grounds on August 17 last year.
Ms Banjoko said that she had spent the afternoon there with her four grandchildren and her daughter as they saw the exhibition she curated, entitled "Don't Blame the Blacks". During that afternoon, a child was alleged to have racially abused two of Ms Banjoko's grandchildren, then aged seven and 11.
But Panya Banjoko says that when she raised the incident with a member of the senior management team at Nottingham Castle, she was met with "aggressive" behaviour and "kettled" into a corner. Nottinghamshire Live recently saw the full internal investigation into the matter, which found that several staff needed more training in handling such incidents.
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Ms Banjoko now says that she will be meeting with Nottingham Castle on November 30, although the castle itself has refused to comment on the matter. Panya Banjoko said: "I view this as a positive step towards healing wounds.
"The meeting is about building bridges and bringing the community together. It is about ensuring Nottingham is a place where all people can feel safe and their concerns can be heard."
Nottingham Castle announced the appointment of two new chief executives last month. The role will be shared between Annie Hurst and Heather Mayfield, the latter having previously served as a CEO of the trust running the castle from 2015 to 2019.
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