The Wrotham Festival of Fusion and Light which took place on October 17 proved to be a great success attracting record numbers. Organised in partnership by Kent Equality Cohesion Council, Cohesion Plus and the Four Schools in the Pilgrims Way Partnership; Saint George’s Primary School, Platt Primary School, Trottiscliffe CE Primary School and Stansted CE Primary School the festival took part in 2 distinct phases. The lantern parade element through the village launched the celebrations. The parade was led by the Mayor of Tonbridge and Malling Cllr Sasha Luck and the Vice Chairman of Kent County Council Cllr Mike Harrison along with invited guests. They were followed by the schools who had been working hard with arts organisation Same Sky on the lanterns which were based on the theme of harvest. The parade also featured stilt walkers, Four by Four Dhol Drummers and Under1Sun Samba Group.

Once the Parade reached its conclusion at Wrotham Cricket Ground there was a fusion Stage Show featuring performances by leading culturally diverse artists and emerging local artists including comedy duo Danny and Dan, Four by Four Bhangra Dancers, Reel Eire Irish Dancers and vocalist Ryan Bennett. The event climaxed with a short fireworks display organised by Phoenix.

According to Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council “We were very pleased with the how the Festival of Fusion and Light was received in Wrotham. The event has made great strides from last year and this was testament to the hard work put in by all the different partners. We hope next year to build upon this success and continue our partnership working in Tonbridge and Malling.”