News
London 2012 Cultural Champion Award from Minister
The Director of Kent Equality Cohesion Council received a prestigious award from Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd MP for his work in the arts at a ceremony on January 31st in London.
Gurvinder was recognised as a London 2012 Cultural Champion for his innovative work in delivering arts projects and supporting the cultural sector in his work with Gravesham Borough Council who nominated him for the award.
Over the past 12 months Gurvinder has been involved in a number of major arts projects in Gravesham including the Saint George’s Celebrations, Big Day Out Gravesham and the Festival of Light as well as similar events in Dartford, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells.
Gurvinder Sandher commented “I am very proud to have received this award from the Government Minister Mr Hurd who complimented me on my work and encouraged me to keep it up. I have always felt that the arts is a good way to bring diverse communities together and I look forward to showcasing this at our biggest ever Saint Georges Day celebrations taking place in Gravesham and Dartford on April 23rd. I am very grateful to our partners Gravesham Borough Council for nominating me for this award”
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Dartford Festival of Light Brings Town to a Standstill
Dartford Town Centre was brought to a standstill on Friday October 21 as around 800 people took part in the third Dartford Festival of Light. The parade involved 10 schools from Dartford along with their parents and members of the public who joined in as the parade went around. The children had been working hard in the preparation for the festival making lanterns and torches which they carried in the parade. In total around 500 children benefited from workshops in the build-up to the event.
The aim of the Festival of Light is to bring the communities of Dartford together through the arts, and was been inspired by the Cultural Olympiad which promotes the Olympic values of excellence, respect and friendship and the Paralympics values of empower, achieve and inspire.
The parade started on the green outside Central Library, it then went onto the High Street, before turning left at One Bell Corner and then head back towards the Bandstand in Central Park. The parade also featured the Bloco Fogo Samba Group and the Cultural Beats Dhol Drummers and was led by a delegation from Dartford Borough Council and Kent County Council including the Mayor of Dartford Cllr. Eddy Lampkin, the Leader of Dartford Borough Council Cllr, Jeremy Kite and Deputy Cabinet Member for Communities at Kent County Council Avtar Sandhu. The Festival climaxed at the Bandstand in Central Park where the participants were thanked by Gurvinder Sandher the Director of Kent Equality Cohesion Council before they were presented with trophies from guests from Dartford Borough Council and Kent County Council.
The Festival of Light was organised by Kent Equality Cohesion Council in partnership with local arts organisation Cohesion Plus with the support of Dartford Borough Council and Kent County Council.
According to Gurvinder Sandher the Director of the Kent Equality Cohesion Council who co-ordinated the event “I was very pleased with how the Festival went. It was so good to see young people with their parents and grandparents coming together to take part in the parade and the entertainment at the end. Events like this not only showcase the positive community relations enjoyed in Dartford but also the importance of event like this in bringing different generations together to share joint experiences. As ever I am very grateful for the support provided by our partners Dartford Borough Council, Kent Police and Kent County Council.”
Click here to view images of the Dartford Festival of Light 2011
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Dartford Festival of Light October 21
Preparations are underway for the third Dartford Festival of Light which will take place on Friday October 21 through Dartford Town Centre between 6.30pm and 7.30pm. The parade will involve 10 schools from Dartford who will be working with renowned arts company Samesky in the build up to the event. In total over 500 young pupils will benefit from arts workshops. The children will make lanterns and torches which they will carry in the parade.
The Festival of Light has been organised by local arts organisation Cohesion Plus in partnership with Kent Equality Cohesion Council with the support of Dartford Borough Council and Kent County Council. The parade will start just on the green outside Central Library, will turn right towards the High Street, going past the Paper Moon Public House, and will then continue along the High Street. The parade will turn left at One Bell Corner and then head back towards the Bandstand in Central Park where the festival will climax with performances by Bloco Fogo Samba and Cultural Beats.
The aim of the Festival of Light is to bring the communities of Dartford together through the arts, and has been inspired by the Cultural Olympiad which promotes the Olympic values of excellence, respect and friendship and the Paralympics values of empower, achieve and inspire.
According to Gurvinder Sandher the Director of the Kent Equality Cohesion Council who is co-ordinating the event “I am very much looking forward to the event this Friday. The schools have been working very hard in the build-up to the Festival. The parade through Dartford Town Centre is always colourful and the climax of the parade at the Bandstand in Dartford is very spectacular. Events like this underline the positive community relations that we enjoy in the borough and I hope that the community will come out and support this fantastic community event.”
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Gravesham Festival of Light October 14
Preparations are well underway for the fourth Gravesham Festival of Light which will take place on Friday October 14 through Gravesend Town Centre between 6.30pm and 7pm. The parade will involve 13 schools from Gravesham who will be working with renowned arts company Samesky in the build up to the event. In total over 400 young pupils will benefit from arts workshops. The children will make lanterns and torches which they will carry in the parade which will be led by the Bloco Fogo Samba Group and Cultural Beats.
The Festival of Light has been organised by local arts organisation Cohesion Plus in partnership with Kent Equality Cohesion Council with the support of Gravesham Borough Council and Kent County Council.
The parade will start up outside the Saint George’s Centre entrance opposite the Tesco store, and will then make its way via New Road and Windmill Street to the Community Square outside the Civic Centre. The festival will climax with a free concert by one of Europe’s leading Michael Jackson tribute acts Navi starting at just after 7pm.
The aim of the Festival of Light is to bring the communities of Gravesham together through the arts, and has been inspired by the Cultural Olympiad which promotes the Olympic values of excellence, respect and friendship and the Paralympics values of empower, achieve and inspire.
According to Gurvinder Sandher the Director of the Kent Equality Cohesion Council who is co-ordinating the event “We have been very pleased with the positive response which we have had from local schools. I believe that the Festival of Light is an excellent example of how the arts can be used to bring communities from across the borough both rural and urban together. I am also very pleased that we have secured Navi who is a well renowned Michael Jackson Tribute Act who I am sure will thrill the crowds at the climax of the festival.”
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Maidstone Mela promotes community cohesion through the Arts
Music and food from around the world were order of the day at the 9th Maidstone Mela which took place over 3 days between September 9 and 11. This proved to be the biggest Mela to date both in terms of attendance and content with thousands coming out to support the event.
The Mela weekend was launched with a spectacular parade through the town centre on Friday 9 September in which over 300 young people from 4 local schools; Hollingbourne Primary, South Borough Primary, West Borough Primary and St Francis Primary took part. The parade climaxed in Brenchley Gardens where the Mayor Cllr Brian Mortimer raised the Mela Flag to announce the start of the Mela Weekend.
Saturday evening at Mote Park saw a spectacular night of fusion and colour with first bhangra superstar Sukshinder Shinda performing his urban bhangra sound which had the audience despite the poor weather up and dancing. He was followed by the Counterfeit Beatles who performed all the great hits from the fab four. The evening climaxed with a firework show.
Sukshinder Shinda said “This was the first time that I have performed at the Maidstone Mela and it was a great experience. It is really good for an artist like me to promote our bhangra music to a wider audience and expose them to new sounds and songs. Despite the poor weather the audience were really supportive and really got into my set, even those who did not understand the lyrics still appreciated the music. Great credit needs to go to the Mela organisers for putting on such a fantastic performance.”
Sunday was a true celebration of food, music and dance with stage performances from around the world including Raqsonic a local Arabic band, K College who performed different dances from around the world, Merenkurkut a popular Finnish Folk Group, Phase 5 Steel Band, Maidstone Nepalese Group and local group Bollywood Blast. The Mela was headlined by Cohesion Plus who created a special performance involving Four by Four Bhangra, Cultural Beats and Uzambezi and the popular Michael Jackson Tribute Act Navi. In addition to the stage programme there was an array of food, craft, information and cultural stalls which created a real family feel.
Gurvinder Sandher the Director of the Kent Equality Cohesion Council of the Mela commented “I have been really overwhelmed with the positive response that we have had to the Mela. Much hard work goes into pulling this event together but all the work is really worthwhile when you get such positive feedback. Our Mela this year coincided with the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and I hope we showed the positive community relations enjoyed here in Maidstone as we had all communities and all ages coming together as one. That for me is such a powerful image and I am very proud of what we along with our partners Maidstone Borough Council have achieved. Our artistic content was again very strong and the record crowds reflected that.”
Click here to view images from the Maidstone Mela.
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Jazzy B and PBN excite crowds at Dartford Mela
Music and food were order of the day at the 9th Dartford Community Mela Festival which took place on Saturday August 13 in Central Park. Around 650 attended the free community event which was organised in partnership by the Kent ECC (Equality Cohesion Council) and Cohesion Plus with the help and support of Dartford Borough Council, Arts Council England and local community groups.
The Mela was headlined by Bhangra Superstar Jazzy B whose energetic performance was greatly appreciated by the audience. His fusion of bhangra and urban music had the crowd dancing and cheering all the way through his set. He was supported by a number of emerging urban and bhangra acts including PBN, Arminder Nahal and Jai Khan. In addition there was an exciting bhangra clash performance featuring local favourites Four and Four and Brit Asia Superstar Winner Ravi Joshan which was put together by Cohesion Plus.
The chief guest was the Mayor of Dartford Cllr. Eddy Lampkin who spoke from the stage and praised the positive community relations enjoyed in the borough. Alongside the performances on stage there will also be displays and information available on a wide range of local services including Kent Police, Kent Fire & Rescue Service, Rethink Sahayak, Orchard Theatre and Hope Group.
Gurvinder Sandher who organised the Mela commented “I was pleased with the positive response that we had to the Mela. We spent a lot of time putting the stage programme together as we wanted to showcase new and emerging acts such as Jai Khan and Arminder Nahal alongside more established urban bhangra star PBN as well the Crown Prince of Bhangra Jazzy B. We have had a real positive response and I look forward to working with our community partners as well as Arts Council England to deliver an even bigger event next year.”
Watch a clip of Jazzy B performing at the Mela by clicking here
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Dartford Mela 2011
The 9th Dartford Community Mela Festival takes place on Saturday August 13 between 2.30pm and 6.30pm in Central Park.
The Mela which is organised in partnership by the Kent ECC (Equality Cohesion Council) and Cohesion Plus with the help and support of Dartford Borough Council, Arts Council England and local community groups. The Mela celebrates the diversity of the borough through music, food and dance.
This years Mela showcases a number of local acts including Arminder Nahal, Jai Khan as well as leading urban Bhangra pop act PBN. The Mela will be headlined by the biggest Bhangra act in Europe Jazzy B who will be performing in Dartford for the first time.
Jazzy B commented “I am currently in Vancouver filming a video for my new album. I am flying in just before the Mela and it is an event I have heard a lot about and am really looking forward to performing there. It is important to hold free festivals like this where artists like me can showcase our music to all the diverse communities who live in the Dartford area.”
Alongside the performances on stage there will also be displays and information available on a wide range of local services including Kent Police, Kent Fire & Rescue Service and Hope Group.
Gurvinder Sandher who has organised the Mela commented “I am pleased that this year we have organised our biggest Mela to date. We have been fortunate to have secured as the headline act Jazzy B who is a big following all around the world. I hope that the communities of Dartford will come out and support this free event. In addition to the stage programme there will be food stalls, information stands and a funfair. This will be a truly family event. None of this would have been possible without the help and support of Arts Council England. These are a wide range of styles of music and dance which will hopefully appeal to everyone who attends the event”
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Coming to Gravesham Book Launch
The book which resulted from the project titled “Coming to Gravesham” was officially launched on Wednesday January 12 2011 at a special community event which was attended by 300 people at the Woodville Halls in Gravesend including the majority of the participants who shared their stories for the book, local schools and community groups.
The launch event was attended by the Mayor of Gravesham Cllr. Bill Lambert and Deputy Leader of Gravesham Borough Council Cllr. David Turner who helped present the books to the participants. They were joined by representatives from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Kent Police who also helped out with the presentations.
Gurvinder Sandher the author of the book and the Director of the Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented “This has been a very interesting project. During the course of it I have learnt so much about life here in Gravesham and also on the subcontinent in the period covered by the book between 1949 and 1969. The whole aim of this project was to share the stories of the early migrants with future generations, to understand the struggles they had to overcome and the personal sacrifices they had to make. We will be providing free copies of the book to local schools over the coming weeks”
For further information and to view images go to www.comingtogravesham.com
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Sadi Awaz Suno (Listen to our Voices)
Over 300 women attended the Sadi Awaaz Suno (Listen to our Voices) event held at the Woodville Halls in Gravesham on Friday March 11. The event was organised in partnership by Rethink Sahayak and Kent Equality Cohesion Council.
The aim of the event was to look at issues such as domestic violence, equality and human rights, forced marriages, women’s health issues and the different support services available to women around Kent. It also provided an opportunity for women to socialise and watch a full array of cultural performances.
The main guest speakers were Deputy Chief Constable Gary Beautridge and Nazir Afzal the Director of Communities at the Crown Prosecution Service. Gary spoke about his visit to India and the work which was undertaken with the Indian Police. Kent Police have piloted some innovative work around domestic violence and he provided information around support mechanisms available to women who are suffering. Nazir spoke about some of the recent cases he has been involved in which have been to trial around honour killings and forced marriage including the murder of Geeta Aulak in West London. Nazir said it was important for members of the community to speak out about these issues and that those who were suffering not to suffer in silence.
Gurvinder Sandher the Director of Kent Equality Cohesion Council who spoke about equality and human rights issues commented “We have had a very good response to our event. The issues that were discussed today were very hard hitting and it was very positive to see so many people in attendance. I believe that all in attendance will have learnt something from today, I was personally very moved by the passionate and emotive presentation given by Nazir Afzal as he was talking about real cases that he has been involved in, in recent months. It is shocking that in this day and age that people within the Asian community can be murdered because they want a divorce. We need to work together as a community to challenge these stereotypes around honour and respect”
Carol Gosal the Area Service Manager for Kent and Sussex for Rethink said “A lot of hard work went into pulling this event together. It all proved to be worthwhile with the fantastic attendance we had. Rethink is committed to working in partnership with Kent Equality Cohesion Council and our statutory and community partners to make a positive difference to women who may need help and support with some of the issues which were discussed at the event.”
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Director wins Local Award
Gurvinder Sandher the Director of Kent Equality Cohesion Council was awarded a special award by Cllr. Jeremy Kite the Leader of Dartford Borough Council for his work around promoting community cohesion in the borough. The Dartfordian Awards was in recognition of his work around the Dartford Mela, the Dartford Festival of Light and his efforts around organising the forthcoming Dartford Saint George’s Day and Royal Wedding Celebrations. Gurvinder commented after receiving the award “I was very surprised and greatly honoured to receive this award from Dartford Borough Council. It is always nice to be recognised for your work and is a reward not just for me but for our volunteers and community partners who always support our work in Dartford.”
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Dartford Saint Georges and Royal Wedding Celebrations
Kent Equality Cohesion Council in partnership with Dartford Borough Council and with the support of Kent County Council have organised the Dartford Saint George’s Day & Royal Wedding Celebrations which will take place on Wednesday April 27th. 450 pupils from 7 local schools will be taking part in the parade which starts at 10am. The procession will turn right out of Central Park, and then head towards the High Street going past the Paper Moon Public House on the Corner, then along the High Street, briefly stopping at One Bell Corner for the National Anthem before proceeding to the Bandstand in Central Park. There will be a short concert at the bandstand with performances by Premier Brass, Big Fish, Cultural Beats, Bloco Fogo Samba and local schools. In addition there will be a presentation for each school taking part. According to Gurvinder Sandher the Director of Kent Equality Cohesion Council “I have been greatly enthused by the support provided by local schools and partners for this event. A lot of time and effort has gone into pulling this event together and I hope that the community of Dartford will come out and support the parade and the celebrations.”
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Biggest Street Party in Kent
Kent Equality Cohesion Council in partnership with Gravesham Borough Council and with the support of Kent County Council have organised the biggest street party in Kent which will involve over 500 young people to celebrate the forthcoming Royal Wedding. The celebrations will take place on Thursday April 28 and will start with a parade at 10am featuring 10 local schools. The parade will start outside the Towncentric offices, Saint George’s Square. It will continue up the High Street into New Road, through Saint George’s Shopping Centre back onto New Road before finishing on the new Civic Centre Square where the street party will take place. In addition to the food for the children there will be live entertainment provided by popular local DJ Stan Lee King and Queen Tribute Performer Gary Goodmaze performing as Freddie Mercury. Then once the schools have departed there will be a quick turnaround and then a free lunchtime concert between 12.30pm and 2pm where members of the public can bring their own food and enjoy the festivities.
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Guru Nanak Sports Festival
The annual Guru Nanak Sports Festival will take place on Sunday May 2 at the new Gurdwara site on Trinity Road. The Festival will attract many people from the local community. They will be able to see teams compete from around the UK. The festival is part of a series of similar festivals which take place around the Country. In addition to the team from Gravesend there will be participants from Coventry, Birmingham, Southall, Slough and Wolverhampton amongst others.
The main focal point of interest will be the Kabbadi Tournament. Kabbadi is a popular sport which originates from the Indian Sub-Continent. The aim of the game is to score points by raiding into the opponent’s court and touching as many defence players as possible without getting caught on a single breath.
The Festival has been organised by the Gravesend Kabbadi Club in partnership with the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara with the support of Kent Equality Cohesion Council and Gravesham Borough Council.
An alcohol free dispersal zone has been established on the streets surrounding the site including Trinity Road, Wellington Street and Peacock Street. Those attending in cars are expected to park in the Parrock Street and Ordnance Road public car parks.
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Vaisakhi 2011 Celebrations
Thousands enjoyed the annual Sikh festival of Vaisakhi through Gravesend Town Centre on Saturday April 18. The Naggar Kirtan (Procession) attracted not only members of the Sikh community but also members of the other diverse communities in North West Kent.
Gurvinder Sandher the Director of Kent Equality Cohesion Council said “It was fantastic to see the diverse communities of Gravesham coming together to celebrate Vaisakhi. It underlined for me the positive community relations that we enjoy and how events like this bring the communities together. I am really pleased for the Guru Nanak Darbar Management Committee who put so much time and effort into pulling this event together along with our partners from Gravesham Borough Council and Kent Police. I hope that we will get just as positive response to the Royal Wedding celebrations and parade that we have organised in Gravesham on April 28.”
The Naggar Kirtan was led by the Panj Piary (5 Beloved) who were dressed in saffron coloured robes and turbans. They were followed by the Sikh’s holy book the Guru Granth Sahib in a special model of the Golden Temple. The Naggar Kirtan started at the new Sikh Temple which is one of the biggest outside of India where special prayers were said and members of the public heard speeches from the Mayor of Gravesham Cllr. Bill Lambert, the Chief Constable of Kent Ian Learmonth and representatives from the Gurdwara Management Committee.
The procession then went through the town centre, with the colourful spectacle being enjoyed by those in the town. In addition to the religious floats, there were numerous community projects involved in the Naggar Kirtan including the Gatka Jatha, Four by Four Bhangra Youth Club, Jugnu Bhangra Group, Guru Nanak Day Centre, Kent Police, Rotary Club and the Kent Fire & Rescue Service. Following a stop in Arthur Street at the Guru Ravi Dass Gurdwara the procession climaxed where it started back at the new Gurdwara complex off Trinity Road. Throughout the route there were special donations made of food and drink by members of the local community.
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