Kent Equality Cohesion Council

Category: News

Celebrate Project Hailed a Success

300 local residents attended a special film premiere at the Woodville in Gravesend on Wednesday September 27th titled “The Journey”. Produced and written by Kent Equality Cohesion Council and Cohesion Plus working with Samuel Frain of GMM, the film featured local residents sharing their journeys. The subjects the film looked at included Indian Partition, the role Sports and Culture have played within communities with origins in India in showcasing Gravesham on a national and international stage and the history of the Sikh community in the borough, exploring the evolution of the Gurdwara and the social challenges that had to be overcome.

Work has been taking place across the borough for the past 4 months to put the film together, over 50 local residents feature and the film captured the period from 1947 to the present day, the highs and the lows, and how through lots of hard work Gravesham has evolved into a borough which is recognized nationally for its positive community relations. Further screenings of the film are being prepared for the coming months and there will be a limited DVD release.

Amongst the invited guests at the screening were the Mayor of Gravesham Cllr Harold Craske, Deputy Lord Lieutenant Dr Vasudaven, Cllr Mike Hill OBE from Kent County Council, Counsellor Shri D P Singh from the Indian High Commission, Cllr Gurjit Bains from Gravesham Borough Council and Tanmanjeet Dhesi MP.

Bhangra Superstar Jassi Sidhu also performed a short set fusing the sounds of UK and India, showcasing how bhangra music has evolved over the years. There was also an arts exhibition featuring local artists to underline the fact that 2017 is the UK-India Year of Culture.

According to Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council “We put a lot of time and effort into making the film. I wanted to capture the stories of the local community telling their stories so that future generations can learn about their journey and how we have reached where we are today. The Indian diaspora is involved in every facet of life in Gravesham from business to politics, the NHS to local government, from sport to the arts and the voluntary sector. This has not just happened by accident and I wanted to share these stories and celebrate the positive achievements as part of the UK-India Year of Culture. I am very grateful to all the local residents who contributed and I hope it is something that Gravesham as a borough can be proud of in years to come.”

The project was supported by the Big Lottery Celebrate Fund whose aim is to celebrate your community through bringing people together.

Project partners for the event were Kent Equality Cohesion Council, Cohesion Plus and Gravesham Borough Council.

28 September 2017
Maidstone Community Mela proves Popular at New Venue

Following months of hard work and sheer perseverance the Maidstone Community Mela took place in Whatman Park on Sunday July 16th. The Mela which has taken place in Maidstone since 2003 was organised by Cohesion Plus working in partnership with Kent Equality Cohesion Council, local partners and volunteers.

The event was officially opened by Helen Grant MP, who thanked all the volunteers who were involved in bringing the event together and she stressed the importance of events like the Mela in Maidstone.

According to Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council “I have been involved with the Maidstone Mela since 2003. I am overjoyed that working with local community partners and volunteers we have managed to deliver a great event in the heart of Maidstone. We had to overcome many challenges this year but I am really proud with what we were able to achieve. In light of the recent terror attacks, events like this are even more important as the terrorists are seeking to cause division and tensions within our communities. Events like the Community Mela are exactly what they do not want to see. I am as ever very grateful to the Mela funders and sponsors including Arts Council England and KCC Members Fund without whom, this event would not have happened.”

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 which included the Emeralds Steel Band, Reel Eire Irish Dance, No Name Polish Pop, Kitka Bulgarian Folk Dance, Dance Asia who performed a Bollywood Fusion, Maidstone Nepalese Folk Dance and the ever popular Four by Four Bhangra. The Mela was headlined by Bhangra Superstar Jassi Sidhu and Jack Shepherd who sang the songs of Ed Sheeran.

Off stage there was also a range of activities for families to enjoy including face painting, creative arts workshops, stilt walkers, information stands from a range of voluntary and public sector partners including KCC Fostering, Unison, South East Water, Involve Kent and a range of food stalls with cuisine from around the world.

18 July 2017
Gravesham Eid Celebrations

To mark the end of Ramadan Kent Equality Cohesion Council working in partnership Gravesham Borough Council and the Gravesham & Dartford Muslim Association, is planning a community celebration to mark the Festival of Eid. Eid is the festival of breaking the feast, marking the end of Ramadan.

The celebration will focus on bringing the communities of Gravesham together and will include activities for families and the sharing of free food and soft drinks.

Gurvinder Sandher, the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council added: “I am proud to be involved in organising a number of events in the borough. All of these events at their core are about providing opportunities for communities to come together and celebrate all that unites us as citizens of the borough and the country. The Eid celebrations are no exception and in light of the recent terrorist atrocities I think it is more important than ever for all communities to stand together and be united and say that these attacks will not affect our way of life and the positive community relations that exist in Gravesham. We have a good fun day planned and there will be donations of free food and drink for all those who attend regardless of faith, so I would urge as many people as possible to come and join us on Community Square on July 1.”

29 June 2017
Gravesham Eid Celebrations Brings Communities Together

The open air Eid celebrations on the Community Square in Gravesham which took place on July 1 were hailed a great success with around 500 people attending. Eid is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims around the world that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.

The purpose of the celebrations was to bring the diverse communities of the borough together, to share food and enjoy the entertainment on hand which included a fun fair, face and henna painting and a performance by the Four by Four Dhol Drummers. There were also welcome speeches by a number of key guests including the Imam Hafiz Ahmed Sher Barakati who spoke about the need for all communities regardless of faith to work together for the betterment of society, and the Deputy Mayor of Gravesham Cllr David Hurley who thanked everyone for attending and supporting this important community celebration.

The celebration which was organised in partnership by Kent Equality Cohesion Council, Gravesham Borough Council and the Gravesham & Dartford Muslim Association was the first one to take place outside.

Gurvinder Sandher, from the Kent Equality Cohesion Council said “I was overwhelmed by the support we had from everyone who attended. The last few months have been challenging ones for our Country with the spate of terror attacks, with people looking to divide our communities to cause disharmony and disruption. The Eid celebrations showcased how different faith communities and those of no faith can come together and promote peace, cohesion and mutual understanding. In addition to the celebrations we were able to share information on local projects and support available including the Reaching Communities initiative we are involved with. Great credit I believe needs to be given to our partners the respective Mosques, Kent Police and Gravesham Borough Council who shared our vision in wanting to make this event happen. I am keen to see the Eid celebrations develop in the future like the Saint George’s Day, Christmas and Vaisakhi celebrations that we organise in Gravesham.”

Ejaz Aslam the Chair of the Gravesend and Dartford Muslim Association commented “Eid al-Fitr is a very important religious celebration for the Muslim community. I was so happy that we were able celebrate this year on the Community Square with the different communities and faiths that live here in Gravesend. We are very lucky to live in a town which has very strong community relations and the feedback I have received from members of the local Muslim community has been very positive. It is important that all communities stand together and we promote our shared values.”

22 June 2017
Gravesham Fusion Festival Brings Communities Together

Sun, Jazz, Calypso, Bhangra, Bollywood, Irish Dance, Eastern European Folk and street art were on the menu at the Fusion Festival which took place across Gravesend Town Centre on Saturday June 17, proving to be popular with shoppers. They were able to witness a range of performances at key locations in the Town Centre including the Market, Clock Tower, High Street, Windmill Street, New Road and King Street. The aim of the festival was to bring together the communities of the borough through music, dance and visual arts and celebrate all that binds us together.

The weekend of the festival also marked the first anniversary of the murder of Jo Cox MP and this was marked up and down the Country with a series of events under the umbrella of “The Great Get Together”. As part of the Festival a special event took place in the Gravesend Market which was attended by the Mayor of Gravesham Cllr Harold Craske along with members of the local community who brought along different food to share.

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

Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented “I was very pleased with the response that we have had to the Fusion Festival. The last few weeks have been challenging ones for our Country with the recent terror attacks; the whole aim of this event was to bring communities together and to celebrate our shared values and the positive community relations we enjoy in Gravesham. It is important that we stand together as a community, shoulder to shoulder, not allowing others to try and come and divide us. I believe our festival which included the Great Get Together made a positive contribution in this regard.”

19 June 2017
Gravesham Fusion Festival 17th June

Preparations are underway for the Fusion Festival which will be taking place in Gravesend Town Centre on Saturday June 17 between 10.30am and 2.30pm. The festivities have been organised by Cohesion Plus working in partnership with Kent Equality Cohesion Council supported by Gravesham Borough Council and Arts Council England. The aim of the festival is to bring together the communities of the borough through music, dance and visual arts and celebrate all that binds us together.

The weekend of the festival also marks the first anniversary of the murder of Jo Cox MP and this is being marked up and down the Country with a series of events under the umbrella of “The Great Get Together”. This will be taking place in the Gravesend Market as part of the Fusion Festival between 12pm and 2pm where members of the local community will be encouraged to try different foods meet new people and celebrate the Gravesham community.

The street festival will see a range of performances taking place around the Town Centre, including on the High Street, King Street, New Road, the iconic Clock Tower as well as in Gravesend Borough Market and Windmill Street. Artists taking part include the Bollywood Brass Band, Jazz Swingtett, Phase 5 Steel Band, Reel Eire Dance and Gravesend’s very own Four by Four Bhangra Group. In addition there will be stilt walkers, mime artists and free arts workshops for children.

Gurvinder Sandher the Artistic Director of Cohesion Plus commented “Events like the Fusion Festival are more important than ever, they provide opportunities for communities to come together and celebrate our shared values and what makes us the community we are in Gravesham. This year for the first time we are doing the event purely as a street festival with performances taking place all over the town centre. This is a new departure for us as I was keen to organise an event where we were taking different art forms directly to the communities who often have low levels of engagement with the arts. We have an exciting line up and hope that the people of Gravesham will come out and support us and our work.”

2 June 2017
Inter Faith Meeting to condemn Manchester attacks

Faith and community organisations came together today to condemn the recent Manchester attacks and spread a message of unity and solidarity. The event, hosted at the Gravesend & Dartford Muslim Association Mosque & Cultural Centre in Gravesham, was the first opportunity for local faith and community groups to come together to strongly condemn the attack.

Speakers at the event included Ejaz Aslam, Chairman of the Gravesend & Dartford Muslim Association, Reverend Richard Martin, Mayor of Gravesham Cllr Harold Craske, Gurvinder Sandher CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council and Tarsem Singh Mahil General Secretary of the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara.

Gurvinder Sandher said, “My thoughts and prayers go out to the families and loved ones of all those affected by the attack in Manchester. It is clear that terrorists are looking to cause division and tension within communities. This is why I felt it was important that here in Gravesham, a place where we have always prided ourselves on our positive community relations, we took a stand not only to condemn the recent attack in Manchester in the most strongest terms but also an opportunity to show those that seek to divide us that, regardless of faith or background we stand together as one.”

According to Chairman Ejaz Aslam, “I am very upset by the recent atrocity that took place in Manchester. It was heartbreaking to hear of the loss of innocent young lives, that could have been my daughter or wife. These terrorists do not discriminate in who they target or kill. They want to cause discord and do not represent in any way Islam, my faith or the teachings of the Quran. I am grateful to all those who attended today and stood shoulder to shoulder with the Muslim community to condemn this attack and we look forward to continuing this valuable inter faith dialogue for the benefit of all communities.”

Mayor of Gravesham Cllr Harold Craske said: “The event at the Mosque today was very moving. Listening to the speakers from some of the different faiths that we have here in Gravesham was both reassuring and positive. The attacks in Manchester and other recent terror incidents around the world are heart breaking and today was a shining example of how a community should stand together as brothers and sisters against terrorism. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone that has lost a loved one or has been affected by these unnecessary attacks.”

1 June 2017
Dartford Saint George Day 2017

The annual Saint George’s Day Parade and celebrations took place in Dartford on Friday April 21. 500 Children from 10 local schools took part in the event which was organised by Cohesion Plus in partnership with Kent Equality Cohesion Council supported by Dartford 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 Dartford to celebrate this important day.

Before the procession started there was entertainment on the High Street with performances by the West Hill Morris, Premier Brass Band, Big Fish Arts and the Bollywood Brass Band which attracted a large crowd.

The Schools gathered outside the Civic Centre where the parade led by Saint George himself started. Along with the schools the parade also featured special guests the Mayor of Dartford, Cllr Burrell and Gareth Johnson MP as well as performances by the Brass Bands, Four by Four Dhol Drummers, Stilt Walkers and comedy medieval jesters and Shakespearian actors.

The parade climaxed in Central Park by the Band Stand where the 500 school children sang Happy 91st Birthday to HM The Queen before watching a short programme of entertainment which climaxed with the Premier Brass Band playing Land of Hope of Glory and the National Anthem.

Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council who led on the organisation of the celebrations commented “I am proud of what we were able to achieve working in partnership with Dartford Borough Council. We use the celebrations as a source of promoting unity and cohesion rather than discord and segregation and believe this work is a beacon that other parts of the Country could learn from.”

3 May 2017
Gravesham Saint George Day 2017

The annual Saint George’s Day Parade and celebrations took place in Gravesham on Friday April 21. 600 Children from 11 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, Big Fish Arts and the Bollywood Brass Band which warmed up the gathering crowd. The parade led by Saint George himself played by Gravesham resident Russel Palmer started outside Saint George’s Church. Along with the schools the Parade also featured special guests the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Kent, Dr. Bhargwara Vasudaven and the Mayor of Gravesham, Cllr Goatley as well as performances by the Brass Bands, Four by Four Dhol Drummers, Stilt Walkers and comedy medieval jesters and Shakespearian actors.

The Parade went up the High Street into King Street, through Saint George’s Shopping Centre and then headed 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 600 school children sang Happy Birthday to HM The Queen before listening to the Deputy 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 over Community Square.

Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council who led on the organisation of the celebrations commented “I really do believe that other parts of the Country could learn from what we are doing here and how we use Saint George’s Day to bring diverse communities together, to celebrate our shared values. We use the celebrations as a source of promoting unity and cohesion rather than discord and segregation. I am grateful to all the young people who worked so hard in the build-up and our partners including Gravesham Borough Council and Arts Council England for their on-going support.”

3 May 2017
Gravesham Vaisakhi Celebrations

Thousands took part in the annual Sikh festival of Vaisakhi in Gravesham over the Easter weekend with people coming from all over Kent to participate. Vaisakhi commemorates the 10th Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s formation of the Khalsa Panth in 1699 (the community of committed Sikhs) which created the faith as it is practised today.

The celebrations were launched on Thursday with a special service on the Community Square where the Sikh flag was raised by the President of the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara Davinder Singh Bains. This was followed by a programme of hymns, Gatka (Sikh Martial Arts) and Bhangra Dancing before donations of food and drink were given out to passers-by and members of the local congregation.

The centrepiece of the celebrations took place on Easter Saturday with the Nagar Kirtan procession (nagger means town and kirtan means the singing of hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy book) taking place. The procession started on the grounds of the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara where those in attendance heard at the start from special guests including the Mayor of Gravesham Cllr Goatley, Adam Holloway MP, Police and Crime Commissioner Mathew Scott and Deputy Lord Lieutenant Dr Bhargawa Vasudaven. Then led by the Panj Piare (five beloved of the Guru) the procession went through the Town Centre where it was well received by members of the public who stopped to see the colourful 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 in Brandon Street the procession headed back to the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara. In addition to the thousands who walked in the Nagar Kirtan there were a number of community floats and groups taking part including Lethal Soundz, Guru Nanak Punjabi School, Kent Kirtan Society, Punjab United Football Club, Four by Four Bhangra, Jugnu Bhangra, Guru Nanak Sports Club and Guru Nanak Football Club.

Once the prayers had been said thousands joined in on the celebrations on the sports field where there was information stands from partners including Kent Police, Rethink Mental Illness, Kent Fire and Rescue Service and local community projects, a fun fair, Sikh martial arts and dozens of stalls giving out free food and drink to those in attendance. Award winning International Bhangra and Folk Star Sukshinder Shinda performed a special set of religious songs to bring the day to an exciting climax.

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. The special guest of honour was the High Commissioner of India His Excellency Y.K. Sinha.

Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council who has been working with the Guru Nanak Darbar Management Committee to organise the festivities said “Vaisakhi is a great example of how volunteers from across the community can come together to organise a community celebration which is enjoyed by thousands. I am very grateful to all the volunteers who have given up their time freely over the past few months to work with me on pulling the Vaisakhi celebrations together. I am also grateful to key partners such as Gravesham Borough Council and Kent Police for their advice and support in the build-up, event like Vaisakhi can only take place by working in partnership.”

18 April 2017