Kent Equality Cohesion Council

Tag: Gurvinder Sandher

  • Dartford Community comes together to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day

    Dartford Community comes together to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day

    Communities and faith groups from Dartford came together on Monday 27th January to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day which also marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and the 25th anniversary of the genocide in Bosnia. The event was organised by the Kent Equality Cohesion Council in partnership with Dartford Borough Council and saw a number of people attend including Dartford Borough Council Leader Jeremy Kite, The Worshipful Mayor of Dartford Cllr Roger Perfitt and Chairman of Kent County Council Cllr Ann Allen.

    Attendees heard from a range of speakers including Gurvinder Sandher from the Kent Equality Cohesion Council who spoke about the importance of learning lessons from history. Gerald Rose from the Catford and Bromley Synagogue talked about the theme of this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day, ‘Standing Together’ and Dartford Council Leader Jeremy Kite spoke about his recent experience visiting Auschwitz Concentration Camp. The event concluded with an interfaith prayer which was led by Reverend Cantor David Rome.

    Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented, “I am very grateful to everyone who made the time to attend this event. It is imperative that we continue to come together regardless of background, faith and ethnicity to remember the wrong doings of the past and learn from them. It is vital that the same mistakes do not repeat themselves. Tragically, some lessons have to be repeatedly learnt with genocides still occurring to this day, most recently in Darfur. The atrocities that took place in Auschwitz, Bosnia and Rwanda are no less horrific now than they were back then and we must never forget them. ”

    Dartford Borough Council Leader Jeremy Kite said, “Holocaust Memorial Day is a powerful reminder of how quickly civilisation can descend into chaos and hatred. Sadly this prospect is no less real in 2020 than in the 1930s and 40s. We need to unite and demonstrate that we stand together in building a more peaceful and tolerant world.”

  • Community comes together to celebrate Black History Month

    Community comes together to celebrate Black History Month

    Black History Month celebrations climaxed in the borough with a special event which was arranged by Kent Equality Cohesion Council, Cohesion Plus and the North Kent Caribbean Network in partnership with Gravesham Borough Council. Some 200 attended the event in the Council Chamber which celebrated the significant and positive contribution made by those of Caribbean descent.

    Guests included the Mayor of Gravesham Cllr Gurdip Bungar, Deputy Lord Lieutenant Dr Bhagwara Vasudaven and Chairman of the KCC Cllr Ann Allen. Talks were also given by Lennox Rogers from local charity Refocus who spoke about his experience with gang violence and his eventual rehabilitation which led to the publishing of his new book ‘Breaking Better’. Rethink Sahayak spoke about issues of mental health within the black communities and the support they can provide. There were also performances by the Taboo Dance Company and rap/poet D-Wayne.

    Special awards were presented during the evening recognising the many achievements and contributions to the borough by local entrepreneurs, athletes, business owners and community workers. Winners included Commonwealth Games 2018 Bronze medallist Chev Townsend for his ground-breaking achievement in boxing, youth volunteer Darius Farrell, entrepreneur Steve Boss and former gang member / youth worker Lennox Rodgers.

    A special award for services to communities’ was presented to Patricia Fenton for her outstanding service with Metropolitan Police supporting victims of crime which included being a Family Liaison Officer to the family of Steven Lawrence in the aftermath of his murder.

    Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented, “There have been a number of events taking place around Gravesham to celebrate Black History Month and I was particularly proud of what we were able to achieve with very limited resources. It is important that we use events like Black History Month to celebrate what binds us together as communities and to remember the past struggles and the sacrifices that the generations before us made. A particular highlight for me was the recognition of community champions who are often unsung but make a positive contribution within our local communities.”

  • Dartford Festival of Light 2019

    Dartford Festival of Light 2019

    The 11th Dartford Festival of Light returned to the borough on Friday 18th October. The festival was organised by Kent Equality Cohesion Council working in partnership with Dartford Borough Council and Cohesion Plus. The aim of the festival was to celebrate what binds the communities together in Dartford through the values of respect, excellence, friendship and equality.

    Some 2,000 people attended the festival and enjoyed the sights and sounds as musical performances took place on One Bell Corner. The lantern parade was made up 8 local schools, members of the community and performers which was led by the Deputy Mayor Cllr Rosanna Currans, Deputy Lord Lieutenant Kelvin Holford and KCC Chairman Cllr Ann Allen.

    The parade departed from One Bell Corner, went via Hythe Street and Suffolk Road into the Orchards Shopping Centre, left out on to the High Street and then turned right at the Holy Trinity Church heading back towards Central Park. The festival climaxed with a spectacular free fireworks display finale.

    Gurvinder Sandher CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council, “At this moment in time when our nation is so divided it was so heart-warming to see Dartford come together as one and celebrate our annual Festival of Light. I always say that there is more that unites us than divides us and this event is a great of example of the positive impact the arts can have in bringing people together, young or old, faith or no faith and urban or rural. I am very proud of our positive working relationship with Dartford Borough Council and this has allowed the event to grow from strength to strength.”

  • Swale Fusion Festival of Light wows again

    Swale Fusion Festival of Light wows again

    Despite the wet weather Sittingbourne Town Centre was awash with colour and lights with over 2,500 participating in the 3rd Swale Fusion Festival of Light. The aim of the festival was to use the arts to bring communities together and celebrate the values of respect, excellence, friendship and equality.

    The celebrations were organised by Kent Equality Cohesion Council and Cohesion Plus working in partnership with Swale Borough Council.

     

    The Festival kicked off on Sittingbourne High Street with spectacular performances from a host of culturally diverse acts as well a large scale mobile art installation that wowed and interacted with the crowds. Then the parade, featuring 13 local schools made its way along the High Street, through Roman Square and climaxed at Albany Park. Along the way the parade collected hundreds of new people who joined in to create a powerful mass of colour, noise and light. Albany Park was specially decorated for the evening with winter themed lights and installation. The festival climaxed with a spectacular firework finale.

    In the build-up KECC worked in partnership with Cohesion Plus, Same Sky, Ideas Test, Big Fish Arts and Platforma Festival around community engagement, providing opportunities for free arts activities across the borough.

    Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented “The weather may have let us down but the communities of Swale certainly did not! I’m so grateful to everyone who attended and not only celebrated the Festival but also our shared values that bind us together as a community. The Swale Fusion Festival of Light continues to grow year upon year and we are already looking at more ambitious plans for next year funding permitting. Events like these are so important as they celebrate what unites us rather than what divides us.”

  • Maidstone Community Mela 2019

    Maidstone Community Mela 2019

    The Maidstone Community Mela in Whatman Park again proved to be popular with over 3000 attending the annual celebration of music, food and dance from around the world. The Mela which is organised by a small group of community partners and volunteers led by Kent Equality Cohesion Council, the Maidstone Cultural Group and Cohesion Plus has proven to be popular in the borough since 2003 despite the many challenges it has faced over recent years.

    The celebrations were formally launched by the Mayor of Maidstone Cllr Marian Ring, Deputy Lord Lieutenant Bill Cockcroft and Kent Equality Cohesion Council CEO Gurvinder Sandher. Those in attendance enjoyed a range of culturally diverse performances including Kent based Phase 5 Steel Band, Folk Band Ukelear Fallout, Maidstone Nepalese Community Group, Maidstone Malayalee Group and Kitka Bulgarian Folk Dance Troupe.

    A Particular highlight was the Cohesion Plus produced Folkin Fusion Collective a high energy show bringing together music and dance from North India and Southern Africa which featured Four by Four Bhangra and Uzambezi Arts. The Mela was headlined by the Kings of Motown who had everyone up and dancing to the classic Motown hits.

    Whilst off stage the arts activity continued with interactive performances by the Chinese Lions, interactive workshops in the World in the Tent which focused on Nepalese and Roma culture and heritage, and for the younger members of the audience there were free arts workshops delivered by LV21.

    The food stalls also proved to be very popular with Indian, Chinese, Nepalese cuisines being served alongside burgers, doughnuts and hot dogs with many selling out whilst the Prosecco bar also did brisk trade.

    Kent Equality Cohesion Council CEO Gurvinder Sandher commented “I am very proud of what we achieved in Maidstone this year. People do not always appreciate how small the team is that puts the Mela on, but all the hard work is worthwhile when you get so many people turning up and supporting us. The Maidstone Community Mela I believe is very important for Maidstone, its ethos is to use food, music and dance to bring communities together and celebrate all that binds us together. The Mela was set up in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and its message is just as important today as it was in 2003 when we first started. I have been involved with the Mela from the start and I am very keen to develop it further next year and we are keen to take it back to Mote Park if we can get a date and also raise the necessary funding.”

  • 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 Eid in the Square Celebrations

    Gravesham Eid in the Square Celebrations

    Around 500 people attended celebrations on Community Square on Saturday June 29th despite the soaring temperatures to celebrate the Festival of Eid, one of the most important dates in the Muslim calendar. Eid marks the end of Ramadan, a month long period where people from the Muslim faith fast from dawn to sunset.

    The celebrations were arranged by Kent Equality Cohesion Council working in partnership with Gravesham Borough Council, Gravesend & Dartford Muslim Association and Gravesham Muslim Cultural Education Centre.

    The Mayor of Gravesham Cllr Gurdip Bungar, Deputy Lord Lieutenant Dr Bhargawa Vasudaven, Cllr John Burden the Leader of Gravesham Borough Council and Adam Holloway MP were in attendance along with representatives from different faith and community groups.

    The celebrations involved the raising of a flag celebrating the Festival of Eid, musical entertainment, face painting children’s entertainment and the handing out of free food to not only those in attendance but also members of the public passing by.

    According to Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council “I am grateful not only to the partner agencies who attended these important celebrations but also the public, who came out in the hot weather to show their support. I can’t stress enough the significance of events such as Eid and Saint George’s Day, which at their core are vital opportunities to bring the communities of Gravesham together to celebrate our uniqueness, diversity, shared values and faith or if you have no faith at all.”

  • Gravesham stands together to remember terror victims

    Gravesham stands together to remember terror victims

    Kent Equality Cohesion Council and Gravesham Borough Council organised an inter faith gathering on Friday April 26th which was attended by faith and community organisations from across the borough. The event was organised to pay respects and remember those who lost their lives in the Sri Lankan terror attack. The event was held on Community Square and was attended by around 100 people.

    Speakers from different faith and community organisations spoke to condemn the attacks and urged the community to stand together and not to be divided by the terrorists. The speakers included Gurvinder Sandher from the Kent Equality Cohesion Council, Reverend Richard Martin from the North Kent Interfaith Forum, Senior Pastor Tom Griffiths and Father Innocent.

    The Mayor of Gravesham Cllr David Hurley, Deputy Lord Lieutenant Dr. Vasudaven, Adam Holloway MP also spoke, strongly condemning the attack and offering their condolences and support to anyone affected in the violence. They were joined by Chairman of Kent County Council Cllr Mike Angell, Chief Inspector Neil Louden of Kent Police, as well as representatives from the Guru Nanak Dabar Gurdwara, Gravesend Hindu Mandir, Gravesend and Dartford Muslim Association and the Buddhist faith. After the speeches, the Christian flag was raised as a symbol of solidarity on Community Square.

    Gurvinder Sandher CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council said “I was shocked by the attacks that took place in Sri Lankan on Churches and Hotels on one of the holiest days of the year. Attacks like this are tragically becoming commonplace and it is up to us as a community to come together and condemn the violence in the strongest way. We must come together and unite where terrorists of whatever persuasion are seeking to divide us. I was pleased that faith groups from across the borough came and stood united to condemn these atrocities.”

    Mayor of Gravesham Cllr David Hurley said: “Thank you to everyone that came together on Friday at the interfaith event to stand together shoulder-to shoulder once again against these terrible violent acts of terrorism. It was heart-warming to hear and see people from many faiths and none join us on community square to show solidarity and hear speeches from those representing religions from Gravesham.”

  • 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.”