Kent Equality Cohesion Council

Tag: Gravesend Skills Centre

  • Eid Community Mela brings North Kent together

    Eid Community Mela brings North Kent together

    Eid Community Mela brings North Kent together

    Kent Equality Cohesion Council once again supported the Eid Community Mela celebrations in Gravesend, working with Cohesion Plus in partnership with Gravesend Skills Centre, Kent Muslim Hands and local community figures.

    The Mela was created to mark Eid Ul Adhar and promote unity among diverse communities in Gravesham, celebrating together regardless of faith. The on and off-stage programme featured a rich mix of artists, performances, and community stalls that reflected the cultural diversity of the local Muslim community and beyond. In addition, agencies such as Kent Police, Rethink Sahayak, Home Office Immigration Project, Windrush Scheme and many more attended, engaging with audience members.

    Civic guests in attendance included the High Sheriff of Kent, Jonathan Neame DL, and the Deputy Lieutenant of Kent, Gurvinder Sandher as well as faith leaders such as Senior Vice President of the Gravesend Guru Nanak Gurdwara Indi Sall and Chair of the North Kent Interfaith Forum Bishop Greg Kitsell.

    Gurvinder Sandher MBE DL, CEO of KECC, said:

    “Regardless of the event and time of year, our express mission is to bring people together to celebrate diversity, unity and community. Our Eid Community Mela did just that, welcoming not just those from the Muslim faith, but countless other attendees from non-Muslim backgrounds. Eid is a particularly special time of the year for those who celebrate it and I know it meant a lot to the local community to be able to mark it together. I am proud of what we were able to achieve and I look forward to working with the local community again in the future”

    Eid-ul-Adha, also known as the “Festival of Sacrifice,” is one of the most important holidays in the Islamic calendar. It commemorates the willingness of the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God. The holiday is marked by prayers, charitable giving, and community celebrations around the world.

  • Eid Community Mela

    Eid Community Mela

    The Fort Gardens in Gravesham saw over 1000 people attend the Eid Community Mela on Sunday 4th June. The Mela celebrations were produced by Kent Equality Cohesion Council and Cohesion Plus, working with Gravesend Skills Centre, Involve Kent and local community members. The ethos of the Mela was to celebrate Eid and bring communities together regardless of faith, ethnicity, gender and socio economic background.

    There was wide array of activity both on and off stage with civic guests such as the High Sheriff Nadra Ahmed MBE DL, Deputy Lieutenant Rosemary Dymond and Mayor of Gravesham Cllr Gurdip Bungar who all spoke at the celebrations and congratulated those marking the occasion.

    Off stage attendees were able to enjoy free musical workshops for young ages by the Playground Project, cricket workshops by Kent County Cricket Club working with Gravesham Cricket Club as well as face painting, fun fair and a range of food and community stalls including Kent Police, Rethink Mental Illness and Kent Fire and Rescue Service.

    Gurvinder Sandher MBE DL the CEO of KECC commented “Community cohesion is the absolute heart of everything we do, breaking down barriers and raising awareness to better promote understanding and unity. The Eid Community Mela was the embodiment of those ideals with the event being open to everyone regardless of faith. The event was a great way to bring everyone together to celebrate Eid in a fun and interactive way. We are thankful to everyone who attended and we look forward to putting on even bigger and better community celebrations in the future.”

    Khawar Khurshid from local company Gravesend Skills Centre who were one of the key community partners for the Mela commented “We were proud to support the Eid Community Mela. Eid is a special time for the Muslims around the world and this time it was made extra special for us in Gravesham as we were able to celebrate with all of our friends and colleagues at the Mela regardless of faith.”