June 8^th has finally come – Election day. After an intensive six-week General Election campaign, we now have a chance to go to the polls and have our voices heard.

This election will decide who holds power for the next five years. Today is the single opportunity to influence this. We have a chance to make decisions over so many vital issues: how our NHS will be funded, how our schools are run, how Brexit negotiations will be carried out. Politics matters as it can alter every aspect of life.

The importance of this election is only highlighted further by the particularly contrasting nature of the policy promises made by the two leading parties, the Labour Party and the Conservative Party. The course of the UK over the next five years will differ greatly depending on this election result. It is therefore of the upmost importance that everyone can have their voices heard today to influence the direction the UK will take.

It is particularly important for ethnic minorities to vote. Historically, the BAME community have had a very low voter turnout. The interests of ethnic minorities will only be most accurately and strongly represented through the ballot box.

Through simply marking a cross on a ballot paper at your local polling station today, we can influence the laws and policies that will affect us for the next five years. At JAN Trust we believe that voting is an important way to make your voice heard and represented in British society.