A MAN who suffered a racial assault in Dorchester has turned his terrifying experience into a move to help others.

Khalique Miah found support in the town to set up a pilot scheme teaching basic English to staff in Dorchester restaurants and take-aways.

And Speak Easy Dorchester has proved such a success that organisers hope to continue it in future courses.

Mr Miah was attacked by two men in Trinity Street at the end of a night out last June. They called him racist names and pushed, punched and kicked him to the ground and stole his watch and bracelet.

Bangladeshi-born former restaurateur Mr Miah has lived in Dorchester since 1990. He speaks fluent English and works as a translator but said he was aware that people who did not speak much English were at even more risk of becoming victims of racial attacks.

With help from organisations and individuals including Dorset Community Action, president of Dorchester Chamber of Commerce Alistair Chisholm and Inspector Les Fry of Dorchester Police, he has seen Speak Easy Dorchester make a difference to more than a dozen Bangladeshi restaurant workers.

He said: “I’m very pleased. Following the court case I was very aware that there are other people who are not as lucky as me because they can’t speak English very well.

“I know a lot of people would not report incidents to the police because of the problem of language. I wanted them to have more confidence using English and understand the way of the society.”

Mr Miah added: “The physical injuries have healed but psychologically it has left a scar that will be there for all my life.”

He said Mr Chisholm contacted him after the court case to see if anything could be done to stop other people falling victim to racial assault. The idea of English language session developed, with help and funding from community workers Kris Hallett and Pauline Trimming of DCA, into Speak Easy Dorchester.

Mrs Hallett said the scheme was set up as a pilot using a room at the Corn Exchange provided by Dorchester Town Council. They hope Dorset Adult Education will be able to take it forward for other courses.

She said: “The important thing is that it fits in with those who need the classes. For restaurant staff that means an afternoon slot between lunchtimes and the start of preparing the evening meals. And they have to be able to get to the venue easily. Otherwise they can’t attend.”

Teacher Winnie Zuu, originally from Kenya, who taught English in Poland for many years, said: “I am really happy to have been part of this project.

“Being an immigrant myself I feel I am able to give something back to the community – this is something I can do and I’ve enjoyed it.”

Inspector Fry arranged funding for English language photo dictionaries to be presented to the students along with certificates at the end of the course.

He said: “I am really pleased we’ve been able to work with these lads to help them feel more involved in the community. And I’m pleased to present them with the dictionaries to help them continue their studies.”

He added: “There are very few racial problems and that’s why they stand out when they do happen. What happened to Khalique was a great shame but out of that has come something very positive.”

Foyzur Rahman, a chef at Alishaan restaurant, said: “Everybody is happy and speaking in English now. It’s been very good.”