Kent Equality Cohesion Council

Tag: Cohesion Plus

  • 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.

  • Cohesion of Dartford celebrated at Saint George’s Day

    Cohesion of Dartford celebrated at Saint George’s Day

    Dartford was abuzz with some of the biggest Saint George’s Day celebrations which took place on Tuesday 23rd April. 550 children from 9 local schools participated in the annual and took the opportunity to showcase the amazing art pieces they had been creating in the lead up to the event. The celebrations were organised in partnership by Kent Equality Cohesion Council and Cohesion Plus supported by Dartford Borough Council.

    Performances took place on One Bell Corner and were followed by a parade led by North Kent resident Russell Palmer as Saint George himself. The parade began from the Civic Centre, went through the Orchard Shopping Centre, stopping briefly at Memorial Gardens where the flag of Saint George was raised. The celebrations climaxed at the Bandstand in Central Park where there followed a programme of entertainment which climaxed with the National Anthem.

    Gurvinder Sandher, CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented “Given the challenging climate we find ourselves in recently, it is so heartening to see that the communities of the borough regardless of their ethnic, religious or social background continue to come out and support such a wonderful celebration. I truly believe that the spirit of the communities is reflected in events such as St George’s Day where we prefer to celebrate what brings us together rather than what divides us. We should take away a message of unity and strength from today’s event.”

  • Communities come out for St George’s celebrations!

    Communities come out for St George’s celebrations!

    Gravesend Town Centre was brought to a standstill by some of the biggest celebrations in England to commemorate Saint George’s Day on Tuesday April 23rd. Some 500 Children from 13 local schools took part in the event which was organised by Kent Equality Cohesion Council in partnership Cohesion Plus and supported by Gravesham Borough Council. The event celebrated the patron Saint of England and brought together the diverse communities of the borough.

    Celebrations began with performances in the Town Centre. The highlight of the celebrations was the schools parade which was led by Saint George enacted by Gravesham resident Russel Palmer. They were followed by the Mayor of Gravesham Cllr David Hurley and local dignitaries including Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Kent, Dr. Bhargawa Vasudaven and Superintendent Andy Gadd from Kent Police.

    Gurvinder Sandher, CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented “I believe passionately that we should be using celebrations like Saint George’s Day as opportunities to bring communities together and celebrate all that binds us as residents of Gravesham. Today it was so humbling to see so many people regardless of faith or background come out to support the celebrations and wave the flag of Saint George with pride. Events like today champion the values of community cohesion, unity and diversity celebrating our shared values.”

  • 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.”

  • Gravesham shines during the annual Christmas Festival of Lights

    Gravesham shines during the annual Christmas Festival of Lights

    Gravesend Town Centre was brought to a halt with a spectacular lantern parade as part of the Gravesham Festival of Christmas Lights on Friday 16th November which incorporated the switching on of the town’s Christmas Lights. The celebrations were organised by Kent Equality Cohesion Council working in partnership with Cohesion Plus and Gravesham Borough Council.

    Some 3,500 from across 11 schools enjoyed the lantern parade led by partners and representatives from various faith and community organisations.

    Entertainment was provided by Crocodile Style Brass, Knights Academy, Folk in Fusion Drumming Santas, Stilt Batteristas and Bloco Fogo Samba. The parade was led by a giant Garuda Bird called Shanti which was specially lit up for the occasion. The Christmas Lights were switched on in the Town Centre as the parade passed by.

    Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented “A key element of our work is to bring communities together and celebrate our shared British values. This festival is a great example of this. It also showcases how the arts are a positive tool in terms of community engagement and outreach with diverse communities. We are very grateful to all our partners for their support with this project and I am very proud of how we have been able to develop the festival over the last few years so that now it is one of the highlights of the local community calendar.”

  • KECC Celebrate 10 Years of the Dartford Festival of Light

    KECC Celebrate 10 Years of the Dartford Festival of Light

    Kent Equality Cohesion Council was proud to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Dartford Festival of Light on Friday October 19th. Around 1500 people participated in the community festival which celebrates the values of respect, excellence, friendship and equality. Working in partnership with Dartford Borough Council and Cohesion Plus, the event proved to be as popular as ever and was a great showcase of the fantastic artwork which young people from 8 local schools had created working with Same Sky.

    The festival included performances on One Bell Corner by the Folk in Fusion Drumming Collective, Bloco Fogo Samba and the Stilt Batteristas. They were joined by Hilary the Triceratops who roamed the High Street interacting with members of the public. There was then a lantern parade featuring local schools which was led by the Mayor of Dartford Cllr David Mote, Leader of Dartford Borough Council Cllr Jeremy Kite MBE and Lak Heer from the Bostall Group who was the event sponsor. The parade went from the High Street via Suffolk Road into the Orchards Shopping Centre, left out towards Holy Trinity Church before climaxing in Central Park. The entrance in Central Park was especially lit up for the occasions with lanterns as was the area around the Band Stand.

    The celebrations climaxed with a presentation to local schools to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the Festival and a colourful fireworks display.

    Gurvinder Sandher, the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented “I am very proud of what we have achieved with the Dartford Festival of Light. The whole ethos of the event is to bring communities together and celebrate our shared values and is an event that the community of Dartford should be proud of. I hope that we can continue to evolve the festival and get more and more people involved.”

  • 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.”

  • 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.”