Kent Equality Cohesion Council

Category: News

  • Swale Fusion Festival of Light wows again

    Swale Fusion Festival of Light wows again

    Despite the wet weather Sittingbourne Town Centre was awash with colour and lights with over 2,500 participating in the 3rd Swale Fusion Festival of Light. The aim of the festival was to use the arts to bring communities together and celebrate the values of respect, excellence, friendship and equality.

    The celebrations were organised by Kent Equality Cohesion Council and Cohesion Plus working in partnership with Swale Borough Council.

     

    The Festival kicked off on Sittingbourne High Street with spectacular performances from a host of culturally diverse acts as well a large scale mobile art installation that wowed and interacted with the crowds. Then the parade, featuring 13 local schools made its way along the High Street, through Roman Square and climaxed at Albany Park. Along the way the parade collected hundreds of new people who joined in to create a powerful mass of colour, noise and light. Albany Park was specially decorated for the evening with winter themed lights and installation. The festival climaxed with a spectacular firework finale.

    In the build-up KECC worked in partnership with Cohesion Plus, Same Sky, Ideas Test, Big Fish Arts and Platforma Festival around community engagement, providing opportunities for free arts activities across the borough.

    Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented “The weather may have let us down but the communities of Swale certainly did not! I’m so grateful to everyone who attended and not only celebrated the Festival but also our shared values that bind us together as a community. The Swale Fusion Festival of Light continues to grow year upon year and we are already looking at more ambitious plans for next year funding permitting. Events like these are so important as they celebrate what unites us rather than what divides us.”

  • Annual Women’s Conference Hailed a Success

    Annual Women’s Conference Hailed a Success

    The annual Sadi Awaz Suno (Listen to our Voices) Women’s Conference took place on Thursday 19th September at the Woodville in Gravesend. The aim of the conference was to raise awareness of issues relating to mental health, modern day slavery, alcohol abuse and general well-being, issues that are not always understood or discussed within some of the communities locally, who hail from the Indian Sub-continent.

    The conference was organised by Kent Equality Cohesion Council and Rethink Mental Illness Sahayak Services with the support of the Gravesham Borough Council led Altogether Safer Project. The audience of around 300 women heard from Kris Eberlein from Kent Police about the work that is being done to tackle modern day slavery , what to look out for and some of the barriers Kent Police have found with victims coming forward. He was joined by Kulbir Pasricha who spoke about honour based abuse, forced marriage and the help and support available around these issues. The key note speakers Bhupinder Kullar and Gurbax Kaur from the Sikh Recovery Network spoke about the importance of making use of support services and to move away from the cultural norms that exist within some communities from the Indian sub-continent, where alcoholism isn’t necessarily understood or addressed.

    Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of the Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented “Mental health or alcohol abuse does not discriminate; they can happen in any community, whilst issues such as modern day slavery and forced marriages are prevalent in some communities more than others. That is why events like this are so important to raise awareness of issues that are not openly discussed amongst communities from the Indian sub-continent and to provide information where people can go for further help and support.”

    According to Carol Gosal Rethink Mental Illness Service Manager for Kent, “I am very pleased with what we were able to achieve with the conference and the feedback has been positive. It is important that we continue to educate the local community especially those who have English as a second language where they need to go for help and support if they or members of their family require it.”

  • Police Community Meeting

    Police Community Meeting

    Kent Equality Cohesion Council working with Kent Police arranged a community meeting which took place in Gravesend at the Civic Centre on the 12th September. Community groups from across Gravesham and Dartford were in attendance, where they learnt more about what Kent Police are doing around Stop and Search, recruitment, gangs and the local crime profile.

    The meeting was addressed by the Deputy Chief Constable Tony Blacker who reiterated Kent Police’s commitment to working in partnership with local communities. Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council spoke about the importance of local communities working in partnership with Kent Police and he spoke about how the local communities could get involved through the Independent Police Advisory Group and the Stop and Search Scrutiny Panel both of which he chairs.

  • Charity Community Cricket Match

    Charity Community Cricket Match

    A charity cricket match took place on Thursday 22nd August at Gravesend Rugby Club which raised £260 for the Mayor of Gravesham’s charity fund. It featured a Kent Equality Cohesion Council Community XI and the Kent Police XI. The Mayor of Gravesham Cllr Gurdip Bungar was in attendance to see a highly competitive match which went into the last over before the Community XI were victorious overcoming a target of 93 runs.

    Gurvinder Sandher, CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council said “I am really pleased that we were able to raise funds for the Mayor of Gravesham’s nominated charities. The cricket match was a great way of bringing together diverse communities to play against and encourage dialogue with Kent Police in a competitive but fun way. I am very grateful to Gravesham Rugby Club who hosted the match and we look forward to putting together similar activities featuring other sports over the coming year.”

  • Maidstone Community Mela 2019

    Maidstone Community Mela 2019

    The Maidstone Community Mela in Whatman Park again proved to be popular with over 3000 attending the annual celebration of music, food and dance from around the world. The Mela which is organised by a small group of community partners and volunteers led by Kent Equality Cohesion Council, the Maidstone Cultural Group and Cohesion Plus has proven to be popular in the borough since 2003 despite the many challenges it has faced over recent years.

    The celebrations were formally launched by the Mayor of Maidstone Cllr Marian Ring, Deputy Lord Lieutenant Bill Cockcroft and Kent Equality Cohesion Council CEO Gurvinder Sandher. Those in attendance enjoyed a range of culturally diverse performances including Kent based Phase 5 Steel Band, Folk Band Ukelear Fallout, Maidstone Nepalese Community Group, Maidstone Malayalee Group and Kitka Bulgarian Folk Dance Troupe.

    A Particular highlight was the Cohesion Plus produced Folkin Fusion Collective a high energy show bringing together music and dance from North India and Southern Africa which featured Four by Four Bhangra and Uzambezi Arts. The Mela was headlined by the Kings of Motown who had everyone up and dancing to the classic Motown hits.

    Whilst off stage the arts activity continued with interactive performances by the Chinese Lions, interactive workshops in the World in the Tent which focused on Nepalese and Roma culture and heritage, and for the younger members of the audience there were free arts workshops delivered by LV21.

    The food stalls also proved to be very popular with Indian, Chinese, Nepalese cuisines being served alongside burgers, doughnuts and hot dogs with many selling out whilst the Prosecco bar also did brisk trade.

    Kent Equality Cohesion Council CEO Gurvinder Sandher commented “I am very proud of what we achieved in Maidstone this year. People do not always appreciate how small the team is that puts the Mela on, but all the hard work is worthwhile when you get so many people turning up and supporting us. The Maidstone Community Mela I believe is very important for Maidstone, its ethos is to use food, music and dance to bring communities together and celebrate all that binds us together. The Mela was set up in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and its message is just as important today as it was in 2003 when we first started. I have been involved with the Mela from the start and I am very keen to develop it further next year and we are keen to take it back to Mote Park if we can get a date and also raise the necessary funding.”

  • Maidstone Community Mela Countdown Starts

    Maidstone Community Mela Countdown Starts

    Preparations are now at an advanced stage for the annual Maidstone Community Mela and Food Festival which will be taking place in Whatman Millennium River Park on Sunday July 22nd between 12.30pm and 6pm. The free event which has been taking place in the borough since 2003 is a celebration of music, food and dance from around the world and is organised by Kent Equality Cohesion Council and Cohesion Plus working with local community groups through the Mela Advisory Group.

    There is an exciting programme of artists due to perform on and off stage including Maplesden Noakes School, Reel Eire Irish Dancing, Lambrego Brazilian band, Kitka Bulgarian Folk Dance, Maidstone Nepalese Community Group, Dance Asia Bollywood Fusion and the Chinese Lion Dancers. The Mela will be headlined by Folkin Fusion drumming collective which fuses the traditional dhol drum from North India and the Djembe drum from Southern Africa mixed with a little bit of bhangra and hip hop to get everyone up and dancing and Tanni Browne one of the UK’s leading Bob Marley Tribute acts.

    Off stage the food festival will have something for everyone ranging from British, Indian, Greek, Spanish, Nepalese, Chinese and Thai cuisines as well as doughnuts, ice cream and hot drinks. In addition there will be a number of information stands including National Citizenship Service, Kent Police and the Rotary. The Mela will be officially opened by the Mayor of Maidstone Councillor David Naghi and Helen Grant MP.

    The Mela this year has been funded through Awards for All, KCC Members Fund, Golding Homes as well as donations from members of the public.

    According to Gurvinder Sandher CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council “Our whole ethos as an organisation is to bring communities together and celebrate our shared British values. The Maidstone Community Mela and Food Festival is a great example of this. I hope that the Maidstone community will come out to support us and our small team of partners and volunteers who have worked so hard to pull the Mela together.”

  • Mela Festival Brings Communities Together in Tunbridge Wells

    Mela Festival Brings Communities Together in Tunbridge Wells

    The 14th Tunbridge Wells Mela Festival proved to be a big hit with the local community with thousands attending and enjoying the festivities in Calverley Grounds.

    The Mela was organised in partnership by Cohesion Plus and the Kent Equality Cohesion Council with the support of Arts Council England and celebrates the diversity and cohesion of the borough through music, food and dance.

    One of the highlights of the Festival was the “Dancing Maharajas” show which saw the crowd wooed by a life size elephant walking through the crowd joined by an entourage of singers, dancers and drummers.

    Other highlights included performance by local Tunbridge Wells Groups Fireflies who opened the Mela Festival, Just Dance a group of primary school aged children who performed a fusion of Hollywood and Bollywood, Sahrudaya who performed music and dance from South India, and the ever popular Paul Dunton Orchestra.

    Artists from a further afield included the Sussex Syrian Trio who brought the sounds of the Middle East to the event, the energetic Dance Asia who had everyone up and dancing, DDFK Brass Fusion who played a string on popular hits and Common Denominator who performed classic reggae hits.

    There were food stalls from North and South India, Caribbean, Thailand and Greece as well as ice creams, doughnuts and fudge whilst the Tunbridge Wells Forum Bar served craft

    Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented “The Tunbridge Wells Mela Festival is a great example of how the arts and food can be used to bring people together. The event is going from strength to strength and we are very grateful for all the support shown by our partners and hard working volunteers without whom none of this would be possible. There is an assumption that the Mela Festival just happens, not many people realise the month and months of hard work and preparation that goes into it which can be a challenge for small organisations like ours.”

  • Gravesham Eid in the Square Celebrations

    Gravesham Eid in the Square Celebrations

    Around 500 people attended celebrations on Community Square on Saturday June 29th despite the soaring temperatures to celebrate the Festival of Eid, one of the most important dates in the Muslim calendar. Eid marks the end of Ramadan, a month long period where people from the Muslim faith fast from dawn to sunset.

    The celebrations were arranged by Kent Equality Cohesion Council working in partnership with Gravesham Borough Council, Gravesend & Dartford Muslim Association and Gravesham Muslim Cultural Education Centre.

    The Mayor of Gravesham Cllr Gurdip Bungar, Deputy Lord Lieutenant Dr Bhargawa Vasudaven, Cllr John Burden the Leader of Gravesham Borough Council and Adam Holloway MP were in attendance along with representatives from different faith and community groups.

    The celebrations involved the raising of a flag celebrating the Festival of Eid, musical entertainment, face painting children’s entertainment and the handing out of free food to not only those in attendance but also members of the public passing by.

    According to Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council “I am grateful not only to the partner agencies who attended these important celebrations but also the public, who came out in the hot weather to show their support. I can’t stress enough the significance of events such as Eid and Saint George’s Day, which at their core are vital opportunities to bring the communities of Gravesham together to celebrate our uniqueness, diversity, shared values and faith or if you have no faith at all.”

  • Gravesham Fusion Festival Proves Popular

    Gravesham Fusion Festival Proves Popular

    Kent Equality Cohesion Council were proud to be partners for the Fusion Festival which came to Gravesend Town Centre on Saturday June 15. The pop up street festival showcased a range of artists and art forms including a roaming elephant, dancing lions, mime artists, samba, bhangra, brass, choir and calypso.

    The aim of the festival was to bring culturally diverse arts to the heart of local communities and to showcase new performances especially in an area like Gravesham which has had traditionally low levels of engagement with the arts.

    The Festival also saw the premiere of Cohesion Plus’s new production working with Festive Road the “Dancing Maharaja’s“. Other highlights included performances by Bloco Fogo Samba, No Street Limit Band, Dancing Chinese Lions and the Rock Choir as well as stilt walkers, mime artists and LV21 who delivered interactive arts workshops for young people.

    The festival was organised by Cohesion Plus working in partnership with Kent Equality Cohesion Council, and was supported by Gravesham Borough Council and Arts Council England.

  • Gravesham stands together to remember terror victims

    Gravesham stands together to remember terror victims

    Kent Equality Cohesion Council and Gravesham Borough Council organised an inter faith gathering on Friday April 26th which was attended by faith and community organisations from across the borough. The event was organised to pay respects and remember those who lost their lives in the Sri Lankan terror attack. The event was held on Community Square and was attended by around 100 people.

    Speakers from different faith and community organisations spoke to condemn the attacks and urged the community to stand together and not to be divided by the terrorists. The speakers included Gurvinder Sandher from the Kent Equality Cohesion Council, Reverend Richard Martin from the North Kent Interfaith Forum, Senior Pastor Tom Griffiths and Father Innocent.

    The Mayor of Gravesham Cllr David Hurley, Deputy Lord Lieutenant Dr. Vasudaven, Adam Holloway MP also spoke, strongly condemning the attack and offering their condolences and support to anyone affected in the violence. They were joined by Chairman of Kent County Council Cllr Mike Angell, Chief Inspector Neil Louden of Kent Police, as well as representatives from the Guru Nanak Dabar Gurdwara, Gravesend Hindu Mandir, Gravesend and Dartford Muslim Association and the Buddhist faith. After the speeches, the Christian flag was raised as a symbol of solidarity on Community Square.

    Gurvinder Sandher CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council said “I was shocked by the attacks that took place in Sri Lankan on Churches and Hotels on one of the holiest days of the year. Attacks like this are tragically becoming commonplace and it is up to us as a community to come together and condemn the violence in the strongest way. We must come together and unite where terrorists of whatever persuasion are seeking to divide us. I was pleased that faith groups from across the borough came and stood united to condemn these atrocities.”

    Mayor of Gravesham Cllr David Hurley said: “Thank you to everyone that came together on Friday at the interfaith event to stand together shoulder-to shoulder once again against these terrible violent acts of terrorism. It was heart-warming to hear and see people from many faiths and none join us on community square to show solidarity and hear speeches from those representing religions from Gravesham.”