Kent Equality Cohesion Council

Category: News

  • 70th Anniversary of the arrival of the SSE Windrush

    70th Anniversary of the arrival of the SSE Windrush

    A special community event celebrating the 70th anniversary of the arrival of the SSE Windrush will take place on Tuesday 16th October at the Woodville in Gravesend. The event has been organised by Kent Equality Cohesion Council in partnership with Gravesham Borough Council, the North Kent Caribbean Network and 2B Scene Theatre and will celebrate the many contributions made by the Caribbean communities to the borough.

    There will be an evening of drama, music and food from the Islands and will feature guest speakers as well as a presentation of awards recognising the outstanding contributions made by the Caribbean communities.

    Special performances will take place focusing on the story of the Windrush which arrived in Tilbury in 1948 carrying passengers from the Caribbean who were invited by Britain to assist with post war reconstruction.

    Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented, “I am incredibly pleased that we are able to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the arrival of the Windrush as it marks an important time in the history of this country. The social and economic climate has evolved drastically since the Windrush generation arrived and this event is a way to recognise and be grateful for the positive contribution made by them. I have always championed Gravesham as a beacon that other parts of the country could learn from in terms of cohesion, integration and the celebrating of shared values and what better place for this community celebration to take place then here.”

     

  • Wrotham Festival of Light success

    Wrotham Festival of Light success

    The rural village of Wrotham once again played host to the 6th Wrotham Festival of Light organised in partnership by Kent Equality Cohesion Council, Cohesion Plus and Saint Georges Primary School.

    The festival was kicked off by a range of vibrant performances outside Saint George’s Church from the likes of the Stilt Batteristas, Cohesion Plus produced Folk in Fusion Drumming Collective and Bloco Fogo Samba.

    The Lantern Light Parade then began making its way from Saint George’s Church up through the village and finishing at the Cricket Ground where crowds were able to enjoy the annual fireworks display produced by Phoenix.

    The parade featured 4 local schools and some 500 people who had worked with Same Sky Arts to create colourful lanterns which were lit and displayed during the parade. Those taking part in the parade were joined by the bands who brought a carnival vibe to the festival.

    Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented “Working across rural and urban settings is important to us as the main ethos of our work is to bring communities together. We are always proud of the way the communities of Wrotham embrace the Festival of Light and it only seems to grow from strength to strength. It is important that we continue to work across rural and urban Kent promoting and celebrating shared values and I would like to thank all those who took the time to come and support the celebrations.”

  • KECC delighted to support Swale Fusion Festival of Light 2018

    KECC delighted to support Swale Fusion Festival of Light 2018

    Kent Equality Cohesion Council is delighted to be working in partnership with Swale Borough Council and Cohesion Plus on the forthcoming Swale Fusion Festival of Light which will be taking place on Friday October 12th.

    The festival celebrates the core values of respect, excellence, friendship and equality and features a lantern parade with local schools taking part, a culturally diverse artistic programme and a firework finale.

    The programme will commence on Sittingbourne High Street at 6pm with performances from Folkin Fusion Drumming Collective, Bloco Fogo Samba and the Stilt Batteristas. The lantern parade will make its way from Sittingbourne High Street through Roman Square before finishing at Albany Park where the festival will climax with a firework display at 7.15pm.

    Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of KECC commented “In this current difficult economic climate especially for voluntary sector organisations like ourselves, I am really pleased that we have been able to work with local partners to put together the Swale Fusion Festival of Light. Events like this are more important than ever and the positive response we have already had from local schools and partners underlines the importance of celebrating our shared values and using opportunities that festival like this afford, to bring communities together.”

  • Women’s Conference a Great Success

    Women’s Conference a Great Success

    The annual Sadi Awaz Suno (Listen to our Voices) Women’s Conference took place on Thursday 20th September at the Woodville in Gravesend. The main ethos of the event was to raise awareness of where people can go if they need help and support and to push back on the traditional norms that exist within some communities from the Indian sub-continent, of staying silent in the face of issues relating to mental health, addiction and domestic abuse.

    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 250 women heard from one of the leading bhangra musicians in the UK Bhupinder Kullar who is better known by his stage name ‘Tubsy’ from the Shanti Project. He spoke at length about his battle with alcoholism and his subsequent journey to recovery. Tubsy urged the audience to encourage the 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.

    Deputy Chief Constable Tony Blaker from Kent Police also spoke, touching on subjects such as the force’s outreach work with residents in reference to domestic abuse, modern day slavery, hate crime and the importance of working in partnership with local communities.

    Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of the Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented “I am pleased that so many women from across North Kent attended the event. It is vitally important that members of the local community develop a better understanding of issues that could affect them and their families such as alcohol addiction and mental health. These are issues which are not traditionally discussed amongst communities from the Indian sub-continent. This is way we hold this event as we want to raise awareness of often taboo subjects”.

    According to Carol Gosal Rethink Mental Illness Service Manager for Kent, “We have been organising the Sadi Awaz Suno Conference for 12 years now. This year for the first time we spoke about alcohol addiction and the feedback we have received from those in attendance has been very positive. This is an issue that affects families but is not often discussed openly especially around where they can receive help and support.”

  • Sadi Awaz Suno Women’s Conference 2018

    Sadi Awaz Suno Women’s Conference 2018

    Preparations are at an advanced stage for the annual Sadi Awaz Suno (Listen to our Voices) conference will take place on Thursday 20th September at the Woodville in Gravesend. The conference will look at important issues including mental health, alcohol and substance abuse and the support available locally to those suffering from domestic abuse.

    The conference is organised by Kent Equality Cohesion Council and Rethink Mental Illness Sahayak Services with the support of the Gravesham Borough Council led Altogether Safer Project.

    Guest speakers at the event include the Deputy Chief Constable of Kent Police Tony Blaker and Bhupinder Kullar from the Shanti Project who will talk about his battle with alcoholism and subsequent recovery.

    Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of the Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented “We are very grateful that working with our partners, we have again been able to deliver this important community event. In such a fast changing world it is vital that local community groups especially those who may be more vulnerable are aware of the help and support available to them. I also passionately believe that we should be having more open discussions about issues such as alcoholism and mental health within our local diverse communities and the Sadi Awaz Suno Women’s Conference is the ideal platform for this to take place.”

    Sadi Awaaz Suno 2018
  • Maidstone Community Mela Hailed a Success

    Maidstone Community Mela Hailed a Success

    Following months of hard work and sheer perseverance the Maidstone Community Mela took place in Whatman Park on Sunday 22nd July. The Mela which has taken place in Maidstone since 2003 was organised by Kent Equality Cohesion Council working in partnership with Cohesion Plus, local partners and volunteers.

    The free community event took place in soaring temperatures and was officially opened by the Mayor of Maidstone Cllr David Naghi and Helen Grant MP who thanked all the volunteers who were involved in bringing the event together stressing the importance of events like the Mela in Maidstone. A special presentation was given by the Mela Advisory Group and Gurvinder Sandher in memory of the late Mr. Morel D’Souza former Mayor of Maidstone who was hailed as the founding father of the Community Mela.

    The ethos of the Community Mela is to use music, food and dance to bring communities together, to celebrate all that binds Maidstone together regardless of faith or background. This was reflected in the diverse stage programme with exciting acts such as Maplesden Noakes School, Reel Eire Irish Dancers, Lambrego Brazilian band, Kitka Bulgarian Folk Dance, Maidstone Nepalese Community Group, Dance Asia Bollywood Fusion and the Kudos Combat’s Chinese Lion Dancers. The Mela was 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 and dancing and Tanni Browne one of the UK’s leading Bob Marley Tribute acts.

    Off stage the food festival offered something for everyone ranging from Indian, Nepalese, Chinese and German cuisines as well as doughnuts, ice cream, juices and hot drinks. In addition there were a number of information stands including National Citizens Service, Kent Police, Unison, Amnesty International, Gullands, Nepalese Community Group and the Rotary. The Mela this year was 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 “The entire ethos of our work is to bring diverse communities together celebrating our shared British values and the Maidstone Community Mela is the embodiment of this work. Despite an uphill struggle with funding, I was delighted that the communities from the borough came out to support and participate in the festivities really highlighting the positive outcomes of events like the Community Mela. I am incredibly proud of what we continue to achieve in Maidstone and of the small team of partners and volunteers who believe in the Maidstone Community Mela as much as we do and worked tirelessly to pull the event together.”

  • Maidstone Community Mela 2018

    Maidstone Community Mela 2018

    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.

    According to Gurvinder Sandher who is the Artistic Director of Cohesion Plus, “I am really excited about this year’s Maidstone Community Mela and Food Festival. When Cohesion Plus started this was the first festival we arranged and over the years despite many obstacles especially the last few, we have managed to put together great artistic stage programmes which celebrate the diversity of Maidstone through the arts. This year we have a range of genres from Bhangra to Bollywood, Brazilian fusion to Bulgarian Folk, Chinese Dragons to Nepalese Dancing. I would like to thank everyone who has worked with us to make the Community Mela and Food Festival dreams a reality.”

    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.

  • KECC hosts Maidstone community mela launch event

    KECC hosts Maidstone community mela launch event

    With less than two weeks to go to the Maidstone Community Mela which will be taking place in Whatman Park on Sunday 22nd July, a special launch event hosted by KECC took place at the kalaRED bar restaurant in Maidstone on July 5th. The event was attended by key partners including representatives from local community groups, Kent County Council, Kent Police and Maidstone Borough Council. The chief guests were the Mayor of Maidstone Cllr David Naghi, Deputy Lord Lieutenant Trevor Sturgess and KCC Cabinet Member for Corporate and Democratic Services Cllr Eric Hotson.

    The purpose of the launch was to update partners around the plans for the Community Mela this year and to inform them of the journey it has been on to raise the required funds for the event to take place again. The Community Mela is organised by Kent Equality Cohesion Council and Cohesion Plus supported this year by funding from Awards for All, KCC Members Fund, Golding Homes as well as donations from members of the public. The Mela has been taking place in the borough since 2003 and is delivered in partnership with local partners and volunteers who have all worked tirelessly to ensure that Mela will take place again this year.

    According to Gurvinder Sandher CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council, I am very grateful to everyone who has supported the Community Mela through financial contributions without which the event could not have taken place this year. The Community Mela is a beacon which other parts of the country can learn from as it is a great way of bringing diverse communities together and celebrating our shared British values.”

  • The Sun Shines on the Mela Festival 2018

    The Sun Shines on the Mela Festival 2018

    The sun shone brightly on Calverley Grounds for the 13th Tunbridge Wells Mela Festival which took place on July 1st. The Mela was organised in partnership by Cohesion Plus and the Kent Equality Cohesion Council with the support of Arts Council England. The free festival which celebrates the diversity of the borough through music, food and dance proved to be as popular as ever with thousands attending.

    The stage programme was particularly diverse with performances ranging from South Indian dance by Sahrudaya, to ukulele inspired Ukelear Fall Out, to the African inspired Drum Beat. They were joined by Tunbridge Wells very own Paul Dunton Orchestra and local reggae artist Jack Curtis. Well renowned Syrian artists Jamal and Alaa showcased the rich cultural history of a country torn apart by conflict. The Folkin Fusion Collective which was produced by Cohesion Plus and fused together street dance with traditional North Indian Dhol Drums and the African Djembe proved to be very popular. The Mela Festival was headlined by bhangra star PBN who had the crowd up and dancing to his hits before Mars Live performed the hits of Bruno Mars.

    Off stage the Chinese Lions entertained the audiences as did the Chappal an interactive show which was produced by Nutkhut and the Bureau of Silly Ideas and was part of the National Mela Partnership project that Cohesion Plus belong to. Alongside the entertainment there was an array of food including Indian, British, Thai, Chinese, Spanish, as well as doughnuts and fudge.

    There were also free artistic workshops for children to make Mela Festival badges and flags delivered by LV21. This proved to be very popular with young families and provided an excellent way for young people to experience the arts in a practical way.

    According to Gurvinder Sandher, the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council “I am really proud of what we achieved with the Mela Festival. Our work is about bringing communities together, to celebrate our shared values and this is an excellent example of this. I am very grateful to our partners and funders for working with us to enable the Mela Festival to develop as it has, to become one of the largest culturally diverse celebrations in Kent.”

  • Gravesham Eid Celebrations

    Gravesham Eid Celebrations

    Gravesham Eid Celebrations

    Around 500 people attended celebrations on Community Square on Saturday June 23 to commemorate the Festival of Eid, one of the most important dates in the Muslim calendar. Eid marks the end of Ramadan when 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 David Hurley and Deputy Lord Lieutenant Dr Bhargawa Vasudaven were in attendance along with Assistant Chief Constable Pete Ayling and representatives from different faith groups including the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara, Hindu Cultural Society and Saint George’s Church.

    The celebrations involved the raising of a flag celebrating the Festival of Eid, musical entertainment, fun fair, face painting 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 was pleased with the positive response that the Eid Festival received not only from members of the public who attended but also the many partner agencies. To me the Eid Celebrations were like the other events we organise such as Saint George’s Day, it was an opportunity for the communities of Gravesham to come together and celebrate our shared values regardless of faith or if you had no faith at all.”

    Ejaz Aslam the Chair of the Gravesend and Dartford Muslim Association commented “We had an excellent turnout to the celebrations. This is what makes Gravesham so unique. It was a joy to see people from different backgrounds and faiths stand together enjoying the festivities.”