susan, Author at Kent Equality Cohesion Council

Gravesham celebrates HM Queen 90th Birthday

Birthday cake and bright skies was the order of the day as Gravesham celebrated the 90th Birthday of Her Majesty the Queen. Cohesion Plus, working with Gravesham Borough Council and Kent Equality Cohesion Council organised a special street party on the Community Square on Friday June 10 which was attended by over 400 people. They were entertained by Elton John and One Direction tribute acts while enjoying specially prepared packed lunches sitting in the sun.

This was followed on Saturday June 11 by the fourth Gravesham Fusion Festival at the Fort Gardens. The theme was Britain and the Commonwealth and was headlined by leading Queen Tribute act Real Magic. They were supported by local Kent based acts including Four by Four Bhangra, Phase 5 Steel Band, Uzambezi, Gemma Moore, Confident Queen Genny Jones, Chuckle Singh’s and Shadow of Doubt.

In addition to the stage programme Same Sky Arts delivered creative arts workshops for young people who made union flags and crowns.

Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented “I was really pleased that the weather held out and we were able to be involved in 2 great community celebrations to mark Her Majesty the Queen’s 90th birthday. She has been a beacon for this nation since her coronation in 1953 and we can all learn from her commitment to public service. I have had some real positive feedback and hope that we created some great memories for the young people who were able to take part in the celebrations.”

14 June 2016

Gravesham Fusion Festival 2016 celebrates HM Queen 90th Birthday

The fourth Gravesham Fusion Festival taking place on June 11 at the Fort Gardens will celebrate the 90th Birthday of Her Majesty the Queen and will feature performances from Britain and the Commonwealth. The event has been organised in partnership by Cohesion Plus, Kent Equality Cohesion Council and Gravesham Borough Council with the support of Kent County Council.

The festival is being headlined by leading Queen Tribute act Real Magic who will perform alongside Four by Four Bhangra, Phase 5 Steel Band, Uzambezi, Gemma Moore and Shadow of Doubt between 1pm and 5.30pm. There will also be special performances by the Confident Queen Genny Jones and the Chuckle Singh’s.

Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented “I am pleased that the Fusion Festival is now in its 4th year. Each year we have tried to evolve it and this year I am pleased that the theme is the Queen and the Commonwealth. I am as ever very grateful to our partners for their support and look forward to welcoming members of the local community to the event on Saturday. We will be giving out some Union Jack flags at the festival and are encouraging people to bring along their own as well so we can all celebrate the happy occasion of the Queen’s 90th birthday.”

In the build up to the Festival Gurvinder Sandher has been meeting local dignitaries including the Mayor of Gravesham Cllr Greta Goatley, Adam Holloway MP, Leader of Gravesham Borough Council Cllr John Cubitt, as well local businesses and artists to spread the word about waving the Union Jack flag with pride at the Festival.”

Fusion Festival 2016

7 June 2016

Waving the Flag for Saint George

Friday April 22 and Saturday April 23rd saw the communities of Dartford come out in force to celebrate Saint George’s Day. The festivities which were organised by Cohesion Plus, Dartford Borough Council and Kent Equality Cohesion Council were some of the biggest in England.

The annual Saint George’s Day parade took place on the Friday and featured 500 children from 8 local schools. The parade was led North Kent resident Russel Palmer who was dressed up as Saint George and started outside the Civic Centre in Home Gardens before going over the footbridge, through Orchards Shopping Centre, into the High Street and then finishing at Central Park. The Mayor of Dartford Cllr Armitt also took part in the parade along with the Leader of Dartford Borough Council Cllr Kite, Dev Sharma the Chair of the Kent Equality Cohesion Council and Gareth Johnson MP.

The parade was greatly support by members of the local community, many of whom waved the flag of Saint George proudly. Entertainment in the parade included the Premier Brass Band, Bollywood Brass Band, Stilt Walkers, Four by Four Dhol Drummers, West Hill Morris and comedy duo Payne and Pearce.

Once the parade reached Band Stand in Central Park the children sang happy birthday to HM The Queen before seeing entertainment from some of the different groups involved. The event concluded with the National Anthem and the waving of Saint George’s flags.

On Saturday there were performances by the Premier Brass Band around the town centre and opportunities to take photos with Saint George as well as flags and badges being given out by Dartford Borough Council.

Dev Sharma MBE, the Chair of the Kent Equality Cohesion Council which is organising the celebrations commented, “We are really pleased with the positive response we received to the Saint George’s Day celebrations. Months of time and planning go into events like this but all the hard work is worth it when the local communities come out and support it like they did this year. I am also grateful to the support provided by our partners Cohesion Plus and Dartford Borough Council and we look forward to doing something even bigger next year.”

John Varah Artistic Director of Same Sky Arts who worked with the local schools commented “We always look forward to working in Dartford as the schools are such a joy to work with. I believe this year’s Saint George’s Day celebrations are some of the best yet that we have been involved with.”

26 April 2016

Gravesham Saint George Day 2016

The annual Saint George’s Day Parade and celebrations took place in Gravesham on Friday April 22. 700 Children from 15 local schools took part in the event which was organised by Cohesion Plus in partnership with Kent Equality Cohesion Council supported by Gravesham Borough Council in what were some of the biggest celebrations taking place in England. The aim of the event was to celebrate the patron Saint of England and bring together the diverse communities in Gravesham to celebrate this important day.

Before the procession started there was entertainment in the town centre with performances by the Premier Brass Band and the Bollywood Brass Band which warmed up the gathering crowd. The parade led by Saint George himself who was played by Gravesham resident Russel Palmer started outside Saint George’s Church. Along with the schools the Parade also featured special guests the Lord Lieutenant of Kent The Viscount De L’Isle and the Mayor of Gravesham Cllr Wenban as well as performances by the Brass Bands, Four by Four Dhol Drummers, Stilt Walkers and comedy medieval jesters Payne and Pearce. The Parade went up the High Street into King Street, through Saint George’s Shopping Centre and then head back through town before finishing on Community Square. Throughout the parade members of the public waved their flags of Saint George and encouraged the children as the parade went by.

Once the parade climaxed on Community Square the 700 school children sang Happy Birthday to HM The Queen before listening to the Lord Lieutenant who is the Queen’s representative in Kent thank everyone for their participation. Following some further entertainment the flags of Saint George were raised and three cheers shouted for the Patron Saint of England.

Gurvinder Sandher who led on the organisation of the celebrations commented “I was very pleased with what we were able to achieve working in partnership with Gravesham Borough Council and Arts Council England. There is great support for Saint George’s Day here in Gravesham and it was so pleasing to see the local community come out and support the event and to see so many people wave the flag of Saint George made me proud. I really think other towns could learn a lesson from what we are doing here and use events like Saint George’s Day to bring all the different communities together as one regardless of faith or ethnicity.”

25 April 2016

Help make Dartford the St Georgiest town in England this April

Community leaders are once again asking local people to help make Dartford the ‘St Georgiest town in England’ this St George’s Day.

Cohesion Plus, Dartford Borough Council and Kent Equality Cohesion Council are working together to organise fantastic St George’s Day celebrations on Friday 22 April and Saturday 23 April and aim to make them some of the biggest celebrations taking place anywhere in England.

There will be entertainment in the High Street at One Bell Corner from 12.45pm before some 500 children from 9 local schools will take part in a parade, starting at the Civic Centre in Home Gardens at 1.35pm. The procession will go through the town centre to Central Park where the celebrations will finish around the Bandstand at 2.30pm. The Parade will be led by the Mayor of Dartford Councillor Ian Armitt and Council Leader Jeremy Kite along with guests from Cohesion Plus.

Suitably rousing entertainment will include the Premier Brass Band, Bollywood Brass Band, West Hill Morris Dance Troupe, Four by Four Dhol Drummers, a Town Crier, a Saint George in full armour and Medieval Court Jesters. Celebrations are set to continue the following morning from 11.00 am in the form of a meet and greet with Saint George himself as well as performances by the Premier Brass Band along the High Street.

The event puts good old St George, the Patron Saint of England at the centre of the town’s celebration and invites everyone to join in a great celebration of this wonderful country and all the people who call it home.

Dev Sharma MBE, the Chair of the Kent Equality Cohesion Council which is organising the celebrations commented, “We are very passionate about Saint George’s Day as we believe it is an excellent way for communities to come together and share our common values and celebrate what it means to be English today.”

Timetable of Activities:

12.45pm – 1.30pm Entertainment in the High Street featuring Brass Bands and Morris Dancers

1.35pm – 2pm Schools parade starting from the Civic Centre in Home Gardens going via Orchard Shopping Centre and the High Street, pausing briefly outside Memorial Gardens for the raising of the flag of Saint George before ending on the Bandstand in Central Park.

2pm – 2.30pm Entertainment on the Bandstand in Central Park

The celebrations are being funded by Cohesion Plus Kent, Kent Equality Cohesion Council, Dartford Borough Council and Arts Council England

19 April 2016

Gravesham St George Day 22/23 Apr 2016

Preparations are under way for the Saint George’s Day celebrations which will be taking place in Gravesham on April 22 between 10am and 11.30am. The festivities have been organised by Cohesion Plus in partnership with Kent Equality Cohesion Council supported by Gravesham Borough Council in what will be some of the biggest celebrations taking place in England on the day itself.

There will be entertainment on the Community Square and in the Town Centre from 10am and a parade featuring 15 local schools and some 700 local children from 10.30am. The celebrations will climax on Community Square at 11.30am. Entertainment will include the Premier Brass Band, Bollywood Brass Band, Four by Four Dhol Drummers, a Town Crier, a Saint George in full armour and Medieval Court Jesters.

The aim of the events is to celebrate the patron Saint of England and bring together the diverse communities in Gravesham to celebrate this important day.

Gurvinder Sandher who is organising the celebrations commented “I am very pleased that with the support of Arts Council England and Gravesham Borough Council that we are in a position to organise another fantastic community celebration for Saint George’s Day. Over time this event has grown to become one of the biggest events of its kind in England and is an excellent example of how the arts can be used to bring communities together as one.”

Timetable of Activities:

10am – 10.30am Free concert on Community Square by local brass band

10am – 10.20am Entertainment on the High Street and King Street by the Town Crier, Brass Bands and Morris Dancers

10.30 – 11.30am Schools parade in Town Centre and entertainment on Community Square at the climax

16 April 2016

Women’s Conference a Great Success

The annual Sadi Awaz Suno (Listen to our Voices) conference organised in partnership by Kent Equality Cohesion Council and Rethink Mental Illness Sahayak Services took place at the Old Town Hall in Gravesend on March 18. The aim of the women only event was to explore important issues which are not often discussed openly including mental health, on-line grooming and domestic abuse.

The audience of around 125 people were addressed by Detective Inspector Angie Chapman from Kent Police, Mayor of Gravesham Councillor Wenban, Gravesham Borough Council Cabinet Member for Communities Councillor Bains, Gurvinder Sandher from the Kent Equality Cohesion Council and Carol Gosal from Rethink Sahayak.

The key message coming out of the event was the fact that there was support available locally and that if anyone needed any help or support they should not hesitate to ask for it.

Once the conference element of the event had finished there was a special cake cutting ceremony led by the Mayor to celebrate 20 years of the Rethink Sahayak Project which supports communities from BME communities who need help around mental illness.

Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of the Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented after the event “I am really pleased with how the event went overall. It is important that issues such as on-line grooming and domestic abuse are discussed and communities know where there is support available locally. Gravesham for example had over 2000 incidents of domestic abuse reported to Kent Police in 2014-2015 and we all need to work together, communities, the authorities and local charities to raise awareness and provide support to victims.”

According to Carol Gosal Rethink Mental Illness Service Manager for Kent “We are very grateful to everyone who took the time to come and support this community event. The feedback that we received on the evening in person and through the evaluation forms indicates how important events like this are around raising awareness and highlighting what support is available. We are very much committed to working with Kent Police and voluntary sector partners to help those in need.”

23 March 2016

Gravesham Christmas Lights Parade

A colourful lantern parade inspired by the hit 1970’s song by Wizzard ““I wish it could be Christmas Everyday” will launch the Festive celebrations in Gravesham on November 13. Organised in partnership by Cohesion Plus, Kent Equality Cohesion Council and Gravesham Borough Council around 600 pupils from 13 local schools will be taking part.

The Parade which will be led by the Mayor of Gravesham Councillor Michael Wenban will start in the Saint George’s Shopping Centre at 4.30pm and will then head towards Community Square via New Road and Windmill Street. The Christmas Lights in the Town Centre will be switched on in stages as the parade passes.

The children will be joined in the parade by the Glenduart Pipe Band, Crocodile Style Street Band, Four by Four Dhol Drummers, Bloco Fogo Samba, Stilt Walkers and comedians Payne and Pearce. A particular highlight will be the performance by the Dancing Santa’s on the junction between New Road and Windmill Street which has been created by Cohesion Plus working with Four by Four Bhangra Dancers which will fuse the cultures of east and west together in a unique performance.

Once the parade reaches the Community Square the Mayor of Gravesham Councillor Michael Wenban will switch on the lights on the Christmas Tree around 5.30pm after the cast of the Gravesham Pantomime of Robin Hood have appeared on stage.

Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented “I am very pleased with how the arrangements have gone for the Christmas Lantern Parade. This is our last event of the year and we hope that the local community will come out and see the spectacular work that the young people have been doing in the build up to the event. Events like this showcase not only Gravesham Town Centre but also the positive community relations enjoyed here in the borough.”

Christmas light switch on

12 November 2015

Dartford Festival of Light 2015

Preparations are well underway for the Dartford Festival of Light which will take place on Friday October 23 between 6pm and 8pm. Organised by leading arts organisation Cohesion Plus in partnership with Kent Equality Cohesion Council with the support of Dartford Borough Council and Arts Council England the Festival is now in its 7th year. The aim of the Festival is to bring the communities of Dartford together through the arts and promote key values of respect, excellence, friendship and equality.

The Festival this year is the biggest to date and is split into 3 distinct parts. Between 6pm and 6.30pm there will be entertainment on One Bell Corner as local vocalist Mark Lees sings some popular chart tunes.

11 local schools will then take part in a lantern parade starting around 6.30pm involving some 550 young people which will also involve the Four by Four Dhol Drummers, Crocodile Brass, Same Sky Arts and Stilt Walkers. The parade will be led by the Mayor of Dartford Cllr Ian Armitt and the Leader of Dartford Borough Council Jeremy Kite MBE and will start on One Bell Corner in the High Street. It will then go via Hythe Street, the Orchard Shopping Centre and Market Street to Central Park where it will climax by the Band Stand.

Once the Festival reaches Central Park after a series of short performances and presentations there will be a spectacular fireworks display to climax the celebrations delivered by the awards winning Phoenix Fireworks.

According to Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of the Kent Equality Cohesion Council who is co-ordinating the event “I am really pleased with the positive response that we have had to date for the Dartford Festival of Light. It is a great showcase of how the arts can be used to bring communities together and a perfect showcase for Dartford Town Centre and builds upon the success of our Saint George’s Day celebrations and High Street Carnival. We have also added a firework element this year which we hope will prove popular.”

A3 Poster dartford Festival_sm

15 October 2015

Tunbridge Wells Mela Festival a Hit

The 10th Tunbridge Wells Mela Festival which celebrated the diversity of the borough through music, food and dance at Calverley Grounds proved to be popular with the local community. The Mela was organised in partnership by Cohesion Plus Kent, Sue Latham Events and the Kent Equality Cohesion Council.

KECC have been involved in the Mela since its inception and were very proud as an organization to have managed to get the Mela to this important milestone.

A range of culturally diverse artists the majority of whom were base in Kent performed at the Mela including the Bollywood Brass Band, Four by Four Bhangra Group, Bloco Fogo Samba Group, Bulgarian folk dance group Kitka, local band Sean Fennessey and Friends, popular Bangladeshi star Nurjahan Shilpi, African ensemble Uzambezi, the Paul Dunton Orchestra, bellydancng troupe Anaconda and leading Ed Sheeran tribute Jack Sheppard.

Alongside the exciting stage programme there was also a creative arts zone where LV21 Arts put together the Changing Audiences piece of art, with members of the public dressing up wooden models to create an additional audience. While Eric MacLennan’s new piece of work “Voyage around my Bedroom”also proved to be very popular with people queuing to take part. In addition the popular Nutkhut Stilt Walkers had the audience up, laughing and dancing throughout the day.

Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of KECC commented “I was very pleased with how the Mela was received. There has lots of positive feedback which makes all the struggles to raise the funds and the hard work which starts some 6 months before well worthwhile. I would like to pay credit to all our community partners who had not given up on the Mela and supported us and encouraged us to make the Mela happen. If this does prove to be the last Mela that we are involved with in Tunbridge Wells I am glad that we went out on such a positive note. Events like this bring diverse communities together and allow us to promote our shared British values and showcase excellent local talent. “

23 July 2015

Author: susan

Timetable of Activities:

Timetable of Activities: