Kent Equality Cohesion Council

Author: susan

  • Gravesham CAB launches Outreach at Gurdwara

    Gravesham CAB launches Outreach at Gurdwara

    KECC has been working in close partnership with Gravesham CAB (Citizens Advice Bureau) in recent months through the Advice Together Project and this has resulted in the opening of a new drop in session to assist the local community and provide better access to their services. The drop in takes place at the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara in the Langar Hall on the Ground Floor every Tuesday between 6pm and 7.30pm. The drop-in is open to all residents in Gravesham Borough and no appointment is needed.

    Volunteers have been recruited from the local community in Gravesend, and trained by Citizens Advice Bureau staff to provide information and advice at the drop in. 

    The CAB provides free advice and information on many topics, including Employment, Housing, Consumer, Relationships, Benefits, and Debt.

    According to Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council who has been working with the CAB and the Gurdwara to set this project up “I am very delighted that we have been able to set up this drop in session and appreciate the support of the Gurdwara Management Committee and the commitment shown by the Citizen Advice Bureau. It is important to stress that this service is open to all communities and we hope that people will come in and use it. Great credit also needs to be given to the volunteers who have given up their time to train and now deliver this service for the benefit of the communities of Gravesham.” 

    Angela Newey the Manager of the Gravesham Citizen Advice Bureau commented “We are very grateful for the hard work of our volunteer advisers and the help and support we have received from the Gurdwara Management Committee and KECC in setting up this advice centre. We hope that this project will be a success and be of benefit to the local community.” 

  • Gravesham Fusion Festival Jun 28th 12pm – 4pm

    Gravesham Fusion Festival Jun 28th 12pm – 4pm

    Kent Equality Cohesion Council in partnership with Gravesham Borough Council and leading arts organisation Cohesion Plus with the support of the KCC Arts Development Unit have organised the Gravesham Fusion Festival which will take place at the Gravesend Promenade, Riverside Leisure Area on June 28 between 12pm and 4pm. The aim of the free festival is to showcase new and emerging culturally diverse artists and to celebrate music and dance from around the world.

    The stage programme features a range of culturally diverse talent ranging from the Phase 5 Steel Band, local singers Gemma Moore and Ryan Bennett to the Cullen Academy of Irish Dance to Piwnica pod Aniolami a popular Polish cabaret act. The event will also see the first performance of the Cohesion Plus produced “Afro-Bhangra” Fusion performance featuring Four by Four Bhangra and Uzambezi Arts. 

    In addition to the Fusion Festival the Promenade will also play host to the Gravesend Town Regatta, a fun fair and heats for England’s Most Powerful Man at the same time. 

    Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of the Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented “We hope that the local community will come along and support the Fusion Festival. This Festival captures all that we are about, namely using the arts to bring diverse communities together and to showcase new and emerging talent. With all the other activities taking place at the Prom at the same time this promises to be a great day out for the communities of Gravesham.” 

  • Tunbridge Wells Mela Festival 13th July

    Tunbridge Wells Mela Festival 13th July

    The 9th Tunbridge Wells Mela Festival which celebrates the diversity of the borough through music, food and dance will be taking place on July 13 at the Calverley Grounds between 12.30pm and 6pm. The Mela has been organised in partnership by Cohesion Plus Kent, Sue Latham Events and the Kent Equality Cohesion Council.

    The Mela is part funded by Arts Council England with the balance of the funds being raised through stalls, sponsorship, and donations, with KECC covering any shortfall as again there is no funding support from local authority partners. 

    A range of culturally diverse artists will be performing including leading Samba group Bloco Fogo, Four by Four Bhangra, African Folk Group Uzambezi, Lady Motown, emerging young singers Ryan Bennett and Gemma Moore, Cullen Academy of Irish Dance, local reggae star Jack Curtis and Phase 5 Steel Band.

    Alongside the exciting stage programme there is also going to be a creative arts zone where Same Sky arts will be delivering arts workshops and there will be an opportunity to decorate the “Mela Festival Gate” which symbolises the fact that the Mela is open to everyone and welcomes all communities young and old.

    There is a still a funding short fall for the Mela, so if anyone would like to help please Text KECC11 followed by how much you wish to donate between £1 and £10 to 70070 

    Tunbridge Wells Mela poster 2014
  • Tunbridge Wells Mela Fundraising Appeal

    Tunbridge Wells Mela Fundraising Appeal

    The 9th Tunbridge Wells Mela is due to take place on July 13 in Calverley Gardens between 12.30pm and 6pm. The Mela has been organised in partnership by arts organisation Cohesion Plus, Sue Latham Events and Kent Equality Cohesion Council.

    Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council today has launched a fundraising appeal to try and raise some much needed cash to help cover some of the shortfall. “We are very pleased that our partners have been able to secure funding though Arts Council England for the Mela, however this will not cover all the costs of the Mela such as infrastructure, marketing and artists. We are looking for not only local business but also individuals to contribute. Last year we as a charity had to cover the shortfall, this is something I am keen to avoid this year. That is why we have launched today a way for small donations between £1 and £10 to be made to the Mela via text messaging to 70070, then in the message section type KECC11 followed by the amount you wish to donate. This is the first time we are trying something like this and hope that this approach can be successful” 

    To Support the Tunbridge Wells Mela please text 70070, followed by KECC11 and the amount you wish to donate between £1 and £10. 

  • Thousands Enjoy Saint George’s Day 2014

    Thousands Enjoy Saint George’s Day 2014

    Some of the biggest celebrations for Saint George’s Day took place in North Kent on April 23. Activity started at 7am when commuters at Dartford Train Station were greeted by the sight of a Brass Band and Saint George who provided entertainment while Cllr Jeremy Kite the Leader of Dartford Borough Council, the Mayor of Dartford Cllr Patsy Thurlow handed out Saint George’s Day themed goodies.

    The focus then moved to Gravesham where entertainment started outside the Old Town Hall at 10am where the gathering crowds were able to enjoy performances by the West Hill Morris Group and the Premier Brass Band while on the Community Square the Salvation Army Brass Band starting performing.

    Just after 10.30am led by Saint George 22 schools from Gravesham involving some 1000 children started the schools parade which also involved the Premier Brass Band, West Hill Morris Dance Troupe and Four by Four Dhol Drummers. The parade started outside Saint George’s Church before going up the High Street, into the Town Centre, through Saint George’s Shopping Centre and then via Windmill Street to the Community Square. The children were cheered along the way with the communities of Gravesham proudly waving the flag of Saint George. Once on Community Square the children were thanked by the Deputy Mayor of Gravesham Cllr John Caller before the flag of Saint George was raised.

    The celebrations then moved to Dartford where a traditional hog spit roast was set up on the High Street and had queues as soon as it opened at noon. Entertainment was provided by the Salvation Army Brass Band on One Bell Corner and the West Hill Morris Group performed for the large crowd that had gathered. The parade featuring 8 local schools and some 500 children proved to be a great hit with hundreds following the parade from the High Street to the Band Stand in Central Park where further entertainment took place before everyone was thanked by Cllr Jeremy Kite the Leader of Dartford Borough Council and the Mayor of Dartford Cllr Patsy Thurlow.

    Over the 3 events it is estimated that over 5000 people were able to enjoy the Saint George’s Day celebrations which were organised by Kent Equality Cohesion Council in partnership with Cohesion Plus supported by Arts Council England, Gravesham Borough Council and Dartford Borough Council.

    Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council (KECC) who has been working on the celebrations for the past few months commented “I am so proud of what we achieved today. These were our most ambitious plans to date and as ever the communities of Gravesham and Dartford came out to support us and waved the flag of Saint George with pride. It is important that events like this take place to bring diverse communities together and celebrate shared values and I already have some ideas about how we can make the celebrations even bigger next year. I am very grateful to the support provided by all our partners and the local schools which took part.”

    News coverage for St Georges Day Celebrations Click Here.

    Gravesham St Georges Day Video Click Here

  • Saint George’s Day Celebrations 2014

    Saint George’s Day Celebrations 2014

    Over 1500 young people from 30 schools in Gravesham and Dartford will be taking part in community celebrations through Gravesend and Dartford town centres on April 23 to celebrate Saint Georges Day. The festivities has been organised by Kent Equality Cohesion Council in partnership with Cohesion Plus supported by Arts Council England, Gravesham Borough Council and Dartford Borough Council’s in what will be some of the biggest celebrations taking place in England.

    Work has been taking place in local schools over the last 8 weeks to prepare special visual arts and craft displays which will be used during the parade which will also feature the Premier Brass Band, West Hill Morris Dance Troupe, Four by Four Dhol Drummers, a Town Crier and a Saint George in full armor.

    The focal point of parade will be a model of Saint George which has been made by local children.

    The aim of the events is to celebrate the patron Saint of England and bring together the diverse communities in Gravesham and Dartford to celebrate this important day. The celebrations in Gravesham will take place between 10am and 11.30am and in Dartford between 7am and 9am at Dartford Train Station and then in the Town Centre between 12pm and 3pm.

    Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council (KECC) who has been working on the celebrations for the past few months commented “As ever we have had an excellent response from the local schools and our community partners. I am very passionate about Saint George’s Day as I believe it is an important way of bringing communities together and celebrating what it means to be English today in a culturally diverse society. We need to all share common values and beliefs and Saint George’s Day is one such opportunity. I hope that the local communities in Gravesham and Dartford will come out and support the celebrations and wave the flag of Saint George.”

    Timetable of Activities

    Dartford

    7am – 9am Premier Brass Band will be performing and Saint George in full armor will be at Dartford Train Station giving out goodies to commuters

    Gravesham

    10am – 10.30 Brass Band performing on Community Square
    10am – 10.30 Morris Dancers and Premier Brass Band performing on High Street outside Old Town Hall
    10.30am – 11.30am Schools parade through Town Centre finishing of the Community Square where the Flag of Saint George will be raised

    Dartford

    12pm – 3pm Free traditional spit roast samples on One Bell Corner
    1pm – 1.30pm Brass Band performing on One Bell Corner
    1.30pm – 2.30pm Schools parade through the Town Centre finishing on the Bandstand at Central Park
    Dartford Poster FINAL
    FINAL POSTER
  • Gravesham Vaisakhi Celebrations 2014

    Gravesham Vaisakhi Celebrations 2014

    Thousands attended the annual Sikh Festival of Vaisakhi in Gravesham over the weekend which commemorates the Sikh New Year. The centre piece of the celebrations was the Nagar Kirtan procession (nagar means town and kirtan means the singing of hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book) on Saturday. Led by religious floats and also involving community floats including Lethal Soundz, Guru Nanak Punjabi School, Kent Kirtan Society, Four by Four Bhangra, Guru Nanak Football Club and Jugnu Bhangra. The parade started on the grounds of the Gurdwara before going through the Town Centre where it was well received by members of the public who stopped to see the colorful spectacle and enjoyed free donations (seva) of food and drink as the procession passed. Following a short stop for prayers at the Guru Ravidass Gurdwara the procession climaxed on the Gurdwara Sports Ground on Trinity Road.

    The celebrations were made extra special by the presence of the Head of the Akaal Takht the highest religious body in the Sikh faith Jathedar Bhai Gurbachan Singh Ji who flew in specially for the celebrations.  

    Davinder Singh Bains (Shinde A1) the President of the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara commented “I was very humbled by all the support we received for the Vaisakhi celebrations. Vaisakhi was celebrated not just by the Sikh community this weekend but by the diverse communities of Gravesham. For me it was made extra special by the fact that we had Jathedar Bhai Gurbachan Singh Ji in attendance and he was able to see at first hand how we celebrate Vaisakhi in Gravesham. This was a great honour not just for me but the whole Sikh community who attended.” 

    Once the Nagar Kirtan finished there was an open air community celebration on the Guru Nanak Sports Field which included a fun fair, Sikh martial arts, information stands including Kent Police, the British Army and Gravesham Borough Council. The religious stage programme was headlined by Malkit Singh MBE who performed from his recently released religious album “Sikh Hon Da Mann” During the course of the event thousands also enjoyed free food and refreshments which was served by local caterers. 

    Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented “The celebrations took months of planning, and I am as ever very grateful to our partners and volunteers for working with us to make the celebrations such a success. I was very pleased with the positive response both in Town and back at the Gurdwara where the different communities came together as one to celebrate Vaisakhi.”

    The celebrations concluded on the Sunday at the Gurdwara where prayers were read and donations made for the up keep of the running of the Gurdwara. Throughout the services thousands again attended rounding off a memorable weekend. 

    Notes

    The Akal Takht (Punjabi meaning The Throne of the Timeless One) is one of the five Takhts of the Sikh religion. It is located in the Harmandir Sahib complex in Amritsar, Punjab, about 250 miles northwest of New Delhi. While the Harmandir Sahib, or Golden Temple, represents Sikh spiritual guidance, the Akal Takht symbolizes the dispensing of justice and temporal activity. It is the highest seat of temporal authority of the Khalsa and the seat of the Sikh religion’s earthly authority. 

    Jathedar means “leader” and refers to a leader of a jatha (a group, a community or a nation). Among the Sikhs, a Jathedar is an ordained leader of the clergy and leads a Takht, a sacred and authoritative seat. 

  • I-PAG (Independent Police Advisory Group)

    I-PAG (Independent Police Advisory Group)

    Kent Equality Cohesion Council CEO Gurvinder Sandher is also the County Chair of the I-PAG (Independent Police Advisory Group) which is made up of volunteers who have been chosen to represent communities and protected characteristics across Kent and which helps Kent Police shape its response to victims of crime and anti-social behaviour.

    The IPAG had their first annual forum on the evening of 27th March 2014 where attendees also included community members, Police colleagues, Independent Critical Incident Advisors (ICIAs) and other key partners.

    During the evening, County Chair of the IPAG, Mr Gurvinder Sandher gave an overview of the structure and the way forward. He said “I-PAGs have a crucial role to play not only acting as critical friends but also as a conduit to the diverse communities around Kent.”

    The other speakers included Chief Constable Alan Pughsley, Police and Crime Commissioner Ann Barnes and Mr Everett Henry, Head of Equality, Diversity and Human Rights (EDHR) from the College of Policing.

    There were clear messages provided around National and Kent Police priorities around Equality and Diversity. Examples were provided where the I-PAG had made a positive difference to policies, processes and practices which impact on service delivery and in turn uplift community trust and confidence in the police. The members of the County IPAG are also ICIAs and have such also provided tactical advice around significant incidents.

    Chief Constable Alan Pughsley said “As a Force we recognise the importance of volunteers providing independent views to help shape Kent Police’s response to dealing with victims of hate crime, as well as supporting victims of crime and anti-social behaviour”

  • Women’s Conference a Great Success

    Women’s Conference a Great Success

    The Sadi Awaz Suno (Listen to our Voices) conference which took place on March 14 and was organised in partnership by Kent Equality Cohesion Council and Rethink Mental Illness proved to be a great success.

    The aim of the women only event was to explore important issues which are not often discussed openly including domestic violence, child abduction and honour based crime. The audience of around 200 women was addressed by the Kent Police Crime Commissioner Ann Barnes and the Chief Constable of Kent Police Alan Pughsley who spoke about their commitment to tackling these issues and supporting victims.

    http://kent-pcc.gov.uk/index.php?entry_id=1395074767 (Link to Ann Barnes Blog)

    They were followed by Gurjit Chahal from Charles and Co Solicitors from the West Midlands who spoke about Child Abduction where children are taken abroad often as a result of a marriage breakdown. She explained that on average 2 children a day are taken out of the UK against a court order without the consent of one parent.

    The final speaker was Naz Shah who had travelled from Bradford to tell a powerful story about her mother Zoora Shah who had been a victim of domestic and honour based abuse for many years and the impact it had on her and the family. She talked about the sense of helplessness and the lack of support the family received in the 1980’s and 1990’s when this was going on.

    Following the key note speakers there was a panel session which was chaired by the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council Gurvinder Sandher which included Kent Police, Rethink Mental Illness and the guest speakers. The key message coming out of the panel 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.

    Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of the Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented after the event “The conference proved to be a great success and was very powerful and at times emotional. To hear stories of how families’ lives have been affected by domestic violence and honour brought home to me why it is important for events like this to take place. Gravesham has one of the highest rates of domestic violence in Kent and we need to be discussing these issues and raising awareness of what support is available locally. This was an excellent way for us to complete our Promoting Cohesion and Engagement Project which we have been delivering over the past year”

  • Welcoming the Year of the Horse

    Welcoming the Year of the Horse

    Kent Equality Cohesion Council worked in partnership with Gravesham Borough Council, Ying Tao Chinese Association and the Kent Fire and Rescue Service to organise Chinese New Year celebrations which took place on February 4.

    The celebrations included a parade featuring Wrotham Road Primary and a Chinese Lion from the Shaolin Way Group which went from the Community Square to the top of Windmill Street visiting two local businesses to receive traditional green leaves.

    Entertainment then followed in the Woodville auditorium including Chinese martial arts, singing, dancing and music.

    Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of the Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented “The Chinese New Year celebrations were greatly appreciated by all those who attended. Here in Gravesham we pride ourselves on our positive and strong community relations which is apt as those are two of the attributes of the Chinese year of the horse”. Great credit also needs to be given to our partners Gravesham Borough Council for taking the lead and ensuring the event was a great success.”