Kent Equality Cohesion Council

Tag: Arts Council England

  • Tunbridge Wells Mela 2022 a Huge Success

    Tunbridge Wells Mela 2022 a Huge Success

    The 16th Tunbridge Wells Mela Festival took place in Calverley Grounds on Sunday 24th July 2022 and saw thousands turn out to support. The Mela was organised in partnership by Cohesion Plus and Kent Equality Cohesion Council supported by Arts Council England and Royal Tunbridge Wells Together.

    Festival goers were able to enjoy a rich and culturally diverse artistic programme both on and off stage. Highlights included the Paul Dunton Orchestra and Sahrudaya West Kent Keralites who wooed everyone with their high energy performances, the ever popular Kings of Dhol, and Rajasthan Heritage Brass Band amongst many others.

    Other highlights included D-Bollywood, Bloco Fogo and Circus Raj. The event was climaxed with the One Love Orchestra who had everyone up and dancing to their renditions of classics by the king of reggae himself, Bob Marley. Deputy Lieutenant Georgie Warner was the Chief Guest.

    Gurvinder Sandher MBE, CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented, “I am really proud of what we were able to achieve. The Tunbridge Wells Mela is a shining beacon of how music, food and dance can bring communities together and celebrate shared values. The event’s success is underpinned by the many loyal festival attendees who turn out every year to support and enjoy the rich culturally diverse offering that the Mela provides. I would like to thank everyone who worked with us to deliver the Mela and everyone who came and attended.”

  • Mela in Mote Park celebrates the diversity of the borough

    Mela in Mote Park celebrates the diversity of the borough

    Mela attendees turned out in large numbers with over 3,000 people attending the much loved Maidstone Community Mela in Mote Park on Sunday September 19th. The free community festival which celebrates music, food and dance from around the world was delivered by Kent Equality Cohesion Council working in partnership with the Maidstone Cultural Group, the Maidstone Mela Advisory Group and was produced by KECC’s sister organisation Cohesion Plus who specialize in large scale arts events. The Mela was funded by Arts Council England, Maidstone Borough Council and Unison.

    The stage programme offered an array of diverse talent showcasing various arts forms such as Samba music, Irish dance, Punjabi percussion as well as Grime Rap and Choir singing. Malayalee, Nepalese and other South West Indian cultures were also showcased through music, food and dance.

    Key partners such as Kent Police, Victim Support, Unison, Adult Education Service, Involve Kent and the Maidstone Dawn Patrol Rotary Club were also in attendance engaging with those present and off stage arts workshops were also available to children and young families.

    The Mayor of Maidstone Cllr Fay Gooch was in attendance along with the Deputy Lord Lieutenant Bill Cockcroft DL and Cllr Martin Round Chair of Economic Regeneration & Leisure Committee, they all spoke from the stage about how pleased they were to see the Mela back in Mote Park after a 6 year absence and the importance of having events like this in the borough.

    Gurvinder Sandher the Mela producer commented: “I have proudly been involved with the Mela since its inception back in 2003. The Mela has always been a wonderful way to engage with the culturally diverse communities of Maidstone, providing a valuable platform for diverse art forms and traders. I am even more proud to say that this year we were able to return to the birthplace of the Mela and thanks to the partnership with Maidstone Borough Council, Mote Park once again became the site for the event to take place. It is so gratifying to receive praise for the Mela from members of the community. For many audience members it was their first big outdoor event they had attended since the start of the pandemic which is a great testament to the appeal of the Mela. I would like to give special thanks to our key partners who attended and supported us in the lead up and on the day itself including Kent Police, Unison, Victim Support and Adult Education Service. Community events are that much more valuable and enriching when you have the buy in and support of local authority, statutory, community and charity sector partners. We look forward to next year’s event which we have already begun planning!”

  • Tunbridge Wells Mela a Success Despite the Poor Weather

    Tunbridge Wells Mela a Success Despite the Poor Weather

    Despite the heavy rain and thunder over 1000 people attended the 15th Tunbridge Wells Mela Festival in Calverley Grounds on Sunday 25th July. The Mela was organised in partnership by Cohesion Plus and Kent Equality Cohesion Council supported by Arts Council England and Royal Tunbridge Wells Together.

    The Mayor of Tunbridge Wells Cllr Chris Woodward was also in attendance and thanked everyone for supporting the Mela which was now one of the highlights of the event calendar in Tunbridge Wells.

    Those who braved the poor weather saw a range of Kent based diverse acts on stage. Highlights included the Paul Dunton Orchestra and Sahrudaya West Kent Keralites who wooed everyone with their high energy performances, the ever popular Phase 5 Steel Band and Uzambezi African ensemble.

    Other highlights included G Town Talents who performed grime and rap. The event was climaxed by the Kings of Bhangra Four by Four who had everyone up and dancing in the midst of the rain.

    Gurvinder Sandher, CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented, “I am really proud of what we were able to achieve. The Tunbridge Wells Mela is a shining beacon of how music, food and dance can bring communities together and celebrate shared values. The popularity of the event can be seen by how many people came out in what was the worst weather in which we have delivered an outdoor event. I would like to thank everyone who worked with us to deliver the Mela and everyone who came and attended.”

  • Tunbridge Wells Mela Festival 2021

    Tunbridge Wells Mela Festival 2021

    The 15th Tunbridge Wells Mela Festival is set to return to Calverley Grounds on Sunday 25th July between 12.30pm and 6pm. Last taking place in 2019, the event will also see the return of community artists and food traders celebrating music, food and dance from around the world. The Mela is organised in partnership by Cohesion Plus and Kent Equality Cohesion Council supported by Arts Council England and Royal Tunbridge Wells Together.

    The programme boasts a range of culturally diverse artist with an international flavour such as The West Kent Keralites, Phase 5 Steel Band, Uzambezi and Four by Four Kings of Bhangra. The event will also see the return of the hugely popular Paul Dunton Orchestra and the first time appearance of headliners Midnight Soul Sisters who will be performing you all the Motown classics.

    Off stage activity will include Show Globes ‘Enchanted Flower Garden’, a mobile and interactive life size snow globe complete with a mythical nymph that you can take pictures with. There will also be a mouth-watering selection of food vendors on site with a selection of British and World themed dishes.

    Although lockdown restrictions will have been lifted by the 25th everyone attending will be asked to check in to the Track and Trace system, there will also be extra distance placed between food stands to avoid queues and overcrowding, and there will be hand sanitisers in place across the grounds.

    Gurvinder Sandher, CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council “The last 18 months have been difficult ones for us all. The whole ethos of the Mela Festival is to celebrate the local community and what binds us together, the importance of which has been underlined during the pandemic. I hope that the local community will support the event like they have in the past, a lot of hard work has gone into pulling this event together and we have designed the layout to ensure that everyone has a fun and safe day.”

  • 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 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.

  • St Georges Day 23rd April

    St Georges Day 23rd April

    The annual Saint George’s Day celebrations in Gravesham and Dartford will be some of the biggest taking place in England on April 23rd. The celebrations, which have been put together by Kent Equality Cohesion Council and Cohesion Plus celebrate the communities of England in the context of 2019 and educates young people about Saint George the patron Saint of England.

    This year 22 local schools across Gravesham and Dartford have been taking part in arts workshops run by arts organisation Same Sky in the lead up to the parade where they will have the opportunity to showcase their creations. The festivities are supported by Gravesham Borough Council, Dartford Borough Council and Arts Council England.

    The celebrations in Gravesend Town Centre will take place between 10am and 11.30am and in Dartford Town Centre 12.30pm to 2.30pm. Entertainment includes Big Fish Brass Band, DDFK and Premier Brass Bands, West Hill Morris, Hartley Morris Men, Saint George’s themed Stilt Walkers, a Saint George in full armor and a large scale dragon will feature.

    Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of KECC commented “Whether we like it or not our country is greatly divided. I hope that over time we can come back together and that is why events like Saint George’s Day need to be celebrated as there is more that binds us together as communities than divides us. We have been arranging Saint George’s Day celebrations in Gravesham and Dartford for over 10 years now and I believe these events are a model other parts of the Country can learn from.”

  • 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.”

  • Saint George’s Day Celebrations bring Communities Together!

    Saint George’s Day Celebrations bring Communities Together!

    Saint George’s Day Celebrations bring Communities Together!

    Some of the biggest celebrations in England to commemorate Saint George’s Day took place in Gravesham on Monday April 23rd. 600 Children from 14 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 and Arts Council England. The aim of the event was to celebrate the patron Saint of England and bring together the diverse communities in a large scale celebration.

    The highlight of the celebrations was the schools parade which was led by Saint George enacted by Gravesham resident Russel Palmer who was followed by a large scale dragon. They were followed by the Mayor of Gravesham Harold Craske and local dignitaries and partners including the Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott and Deputy Lord Lieutenants of Kent, Dr. Bhargwara Vasudaven and Rosemary Dymond.

    The 14 school paraded behind accompanied by Premier Brass, Brass Volcanoes, Folkin Fusion Drumming Collective, Stilt Walkers and artistic partners LV21 and Same Sky.

    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 to celebrate her 92nd birthday. The festivities climaxed with a special rendition of Land of Hope and Glory performed by Premier Brass Band and the Folkin Fusion Drumming Collective before the flag of Saint George was raised high above the Community Square as the national anthem was played by the Borough Band.

    Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented “This was a great example of how we have used the arts to bring communities together to celebrate Saint George’s Day. It is important we believe, to use events like this to celebrate our shared values and the positive community cohesion that exists in Gravesham. I was humbled by the positive response that I have received from members of the public and from those who have taken part in the celebrations.”

  • Gravesham Festival of Christmas Lights 2017

    Gravesham Festival of Christmas Lights 2017

    Some 1500 people participated in the Gravesham Festival of Christmas Lights on Friday 17th November which incorporated the switching on the town’s Christmas Lights. The celebrations were organised by Cohesion Plus working in partnership with Kent Equality Cohesion Council and Gravesham Borough Council supported by Arts Council England.

    10 local schools took part in a lantern parade led by the Mayor of Gravesham, Councillor Harold Craske along with representatives from various faith and community organisations as well as street entertainers Bloco Fogo Samba, Brass Volcanoes, the Drumming Santa’s and the Black Knights. All the schools worked with Same Sky in the build up to the parade to create special lanterns which were showcased during the event.

    The parade started at Community Square and then travelled down Windmill Street, New Road, through the St Georges Shopping Centre before finishing at Gravesham Borough Market. The Christmas Lights were switched on in the Town Centre as the parade passed by.

    The climax of the celebrations took place in the Gravesham Borough Market where the Cohesion Plus produced “Drumming Santa’s” performed bringing a unique fusion of Christmas tunes to Bhangra and African drumming to entertain and wow the crowds. This was followed by a series of performances which included starts of this year’s pantomime Sleeping Beauty.

    Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented: “This was one of our biggest Christmas celebrations to date in Gravesham. I am very grateful to all the local schools and our partners who made our celebrations such a success. It is important that celebrations like Christmas are used as opportunities to bring communities together and celebrate all that binds us together regardless of faith.