Kent Equality Cohesion Council

Tag: Bollywood Brass Band

  • Dartford Saint George Day 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.”

  • Gravesham Saint George Day 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.”

  • Saint George’s Day Celebrations 2017

    Saint George’s Day Celebrations 2017

    Saint George’s Day Celebrations 2017

    Preparations are underway for the Saint George’s Day celebrations which will be taking place in Gravesham and Dartford on April 21. The festivities have been organised by Kent Equality Cohesion Council in partnership with Cohesion Plus supported by Gravesham Borough Council, Dartford Borough Council and Arts Council England in what will be some of the biggest celebrations taking place in England.

    Gurvinder Sandher CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented “We are really pleased to be again in a position to organise the Saint Georges Day celebrations in Gravesham and Dartford. I believe passionately that events like Saint Georges Day are a great way of bringing diverse communities together and celebrating our core values which makes England the country it is. As ever, I am very grateful to all our partners for their ongoing support and their belief in our work.”

    In the build up to the day 21 local schools and some 1200 young people will benefit from creative arts workshops as they prepare for the parades which will be the highlight of the celebrations in the boroughs.

    The celebrations in Gravesham will take place between 10am and 11.30am and in Dartford between 12.45pm and 2.30pm. Entertainment will include music from Premier Brass Band, Bollywood Brass Band, performances by Stilt Walkers, Morris Dancers, Shakespeare as well as a Saint George in full armour.

    The aim of the events is to celebrate the patron Saint of England and bring together the diverse communities in Gravesham and Dartford through the arts to celebrate this important day.

    2017 A4 Poster GRAVESHAM
    2017 A4 Poster DARTFORD
  • Waving the Flag for Saint George

    Waving the Flag for Saint George

    Friday April 22 and Saturday April 23rd saw the communities of Dartford come out in force to celebrate Saint George’s Day. The festivities which were organised by Cohesion Plus, Dartford Borough Council and Kent Equality Cohesion Council were some of the biggest in England.

    The annual Saint George’s Day parade took place on the Friday and featured 500 children from 8 local schools. The parade was led North Kent resident Russel Palmer who was dressed up as Saint George and started outside the Civic Centre in Home Gardens before going over the footbridge, through Orchards Shopping Centre, into the High Street and then finishing at Central Park. The Mayor of Dartford Cllr Armitt also took part in the parade along with the Leader of Dartford Borough Council Cllr Kite, Dev Sharma the Chair of the Kent Equality Cohesion Council and Gareth Johnson MP.

    The parade was greatly support by members of the local community, many of whom waved the flag of Saint George proudly. Entertainment in the parade included the Premier Brass Band, Bollywood Brass Band, Stilt Walkers, Four by Four Dhol Drummers, West Hill Morris and comedy duo Payne and Pearce.

    Once the parade reached Band Stand in Central Park the children sang happy birthday to HM The Queen before seeing entertainment from some of the different groups involved. The event concluded with the National Anthem and the waving of Saint George’s flags.

    On Saturday there were performances by the Premier Brass Band around the town centre and opportunities to take photos with Saint George as well as flags and badges being given out by Dartford Borough Council.

    Dev Sharma MBE, the Chair of the Kent Equality Cohesion Council which is organising the celebrations commented, “We are really pleased with the positive response we received to the Saint George’s Day celebrations. Months of time and planning go into events like this but all the hard work is worth it when the local communities come out and support it like they did this year. I am also grateful to the support provided by our partners Cohesion Plus and Dartford Borough Council and we look forward to doing something even bigger next year.”

    John Varah Artistic Director of Same Sky Arts who worked with the local schools commented “We always look forward to working in Dartford as the schools are such a joy to work with. I believe this year’s Saint George’s Day celebrations are some of the best yet that we have been involved with.”

    sg2  sg3

  • Gravesham Saint George Day 2016

    Gravesham Saint George Day 2016

    The annual Saint George’s Day Parade and celebrations took place in Gravesham on Friday April 22. 700 Children from 15 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 and the Bollywood Brass Band which warmed up the gathering crowd. The parade led by Saint George himself who was played by Gravesham resident Russel Palmer started outside Saint George’s Church. Along with the schools the Parade also featured special guests the Lord Lieutenant of Kent The Viscount De L’Isle and the Mayor of Gravesham Cllr Wenban as well as performances by the Brass Bands, Four by Four Dhol Drummers, Stilt Walkers and comedy medieval jesters Payne and Pearce. The Parade went up the High Street into King Street, through Saint George’s Shopping Centre and then head 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 700 school children sang Happy Birthday to HM The Queen before listening to the 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 and three cheers shouted for the Patron Saint of England.

    Gurvinder Sandher who led on the organisation of the celebrations commented “I was very pleased with what we were able to achieve working in partnership with Gravesham Borough Council and Arts Council England. There is great support for Saint George’s Day here in Gravesham and it was so pleasing to see the local community come out and support the event and to see so many people wave the flag of Saint George made me proud. I really think other towns could learn a lesson from what we are doing here and use events like Saint George’s Day to bring all the different communities together as one regardless of faith or ethnicity.”

     St George

  • Tunbridge Wells Mela Festival a Hit

    Tunbridge Wells Mela Festival a Hit

    The 10th Tunbridge Wells Mela Festival which celebrated the diversity of the borough through music, food and dance at Calverley Grounds proved to be popular with the local community. The Mela was organised in partnership by Cohesion Plus Kent, Sue Latham Events and the Kent Equality Cohesion Council.

    KECC have been involved in the Mela since its inception and were very proud as an organization to have managed to get the Mela to this important milestone.

    A range of culturally diverse artists the majority of whom were base in Kent performed at the Mela including the Bollywood Brass Band, Four by Four Bhangra Group, Bloco Fogo Samba Group, Bulgarian folk dance group Kitka, local band Sean Fennessey and Friends, popular Bangladeshi star Nurjahan Shilpi, African ensemble Uzambezi, the Paul Dunton Orchestra, bellydancng troupe Anaconda and leading Ed Sheeran tribute Jack Sheppard.

    Alongside the exciting stage programme there was also a creative arts zone where LV21 Arts put together the Changing Audiences piece of art, with members of the public dressing up wooden models to create an additional audience. While Eric MacLennan’s new piece of work “Voyage around my Bedroom”also proved to be very popular with people queuing to take part. In addition the popular Nutkhut Stilt Walkers had the audience up, laughing and dancing throughout the day.

    Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of KECC commented “I was very pleased with how the Mela was received. There has lots of positive feedback which makes all the struggles to raise the funds and the hard work which starts some 6 months before well worthwhile. I would like to pay credit to all our community partners who had not given up on the Mela and supported us and encouraged us to make the Mela happen. If this does prove to be the last Mela that we are involved with in Tunbridge Wells I am glad that we went out on such a positive note. Events like this bring diverse communities together and allow us to promote our shared British values and showcase excellent local talent. “

  • Gravesham Fusion Festival 4th Jul 2015

    Gravesham Fusion Festival 4th Jul 2015

    The Fusion Festival which was organised by Cohesion Plus and Kent Equality Cohesion Council with the support of Gravesham Borough Council and KCC Arts Development Unit provided to be popular and saw a number of new and emerging acts performing. These included local band What, a drama by young children from Gravesham especially prepared for the festival by 2B Scene Theatre Company, leading African vocal ensemble Uzambezi, emerging female bhangra star Sarika Gill, popular Bulgarian Folk Group Kitka and Slovakian band Gejza.

    The Fusion Festival took place alongside the 169th Town Annual Town Regatta, Gravesham Summer Queen and the Northfleet Carnival.

    The festival also say the premier of “Samba Bhangra Beats” an exciting new performance co-produced by Cohesion Plus working with the Bollywood Brass Band, Four by Four Bhangra Group and Bloco Fogo Samba. This proved to be a particular highlight and underlined the theme of the Fusion Festival to use the arts bring communities together and promote cohesion and understanding.

    Headline acts bhangra star Jassi Sidhu and Sam Smith tribute Joe Scripps also proved very popular and had the audiences up and dancing with their repertoire of hits.

    In addition to the stage programme there was some exciting creative arts taking place off stage which was delivered by LV21 Arts which proved to be very popular while Nutkhut performed a series of walkabouts dressed as Bollywood stars on stilts.

    Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented “I was very pleased with the support that we received form the local community for the Fusion Festival. It was a great family day out and the performances by all the artists were really enjoyed by the audience. We are committed to promoting our shared values and events like this bring the community together as one to celebrate all that unites us. I am also very grateful for all the support provided by our partners both in the build and on the day itself and look forward to working with them on creating an even bigger and better festival next year.”

  • Gravesham Fusion Festival 2015

    Gravesham Fusion Festival 2015

    BBB 3Kent Equality Cohesion Council working in partnership with Cohesion Plus with the support of Gravesham Borough Council and Kent County Council Arts Development Unit has arranged the Gravesham Fusion Festival. The event will take place on July 4 at the Gravesend Promenade, Riverside Leisure Area between 12pm and 6pm. The aim of the free festival is to showcase new and emerging culturally diverse artists and to celebrate music and dance from around the world.

    There will be a range of culturally diverse artists performing on and off stage and the event is being headlined by bhangra star Jassi Sidhu who will perform alongside the Bollywood Brass Band, leading African ensemble Uzambezi, Bulgarian dance troupe Kitka as well local band What and Sam Smith tribute Joe Scripps. In a change to the published programme Slovakian band Gejza will be performing rather than Rebel.

    The festival will also feature the premier of “Samba Bhangra Beats” a new performance put together by Cohesion Plus working with Bollywood Brass Band, Four by Four Bhangra Group and Bloco Fogo Samba.

    There will be drama also for the first time on the Fusion stage with Cohesion Plus working with 2Bscene Theatre Company on a new production working with young people from the borough.

    Fusion Festival poster 2015The event is being hosted by popular comedy duo Payne and Pearce. There will also a food zone which is being delivered by the Cheese and Chilli Festival.

    In addition to the Fusion Festival the Promenade will also play host to the Gravesend Town Regatta, a fun fair and the climax of the Northfleet Carnival.

    Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of the Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented “We are pleased that our months have hard work have paid off with a fantastic day planned for the Fusion Festival. This event underlines what we are trying to do, namely to bring communities together and celebrate all that binds us. We hope that this event will build upon our recent very successful Saint George’s Day celebrations in the borough. With all the other activities taking place at the Prom at the same time this promises to be a great day out for the communities of Gravesham with the Regatta, Summer Queen and climax of the Northfleet Carnival.” 

    Fusion Festival Poster 2015