Kent Equality Cohesion Council

Tag: Kent Equality Cohesion Council

  • Inter Faith Weeks brings faith groups together

    Inter Faith Weeks brings faith groups together

    Kent Equality Cohesion Council and Kent County Council worked in partnership to bring faith groups and partners together to mark National Inter Faith Week. 20 representatives from partner agencies including Kent Police, Kent Fire and Rescue Service, Victim Support, NHS and the Heart of Kent Hospice attended both the Gravesham Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara and the Gravesend Hindu Mandir (Temple) to learn more about the Sikh and Hindu faiths and practices. This was part of the Diverse Open Doors week where places of worship around Kent opened their doors to visitors from different faiths.

    This was followed by an Inter Faith event hosted at County Hall in Maidstone which was attended by around 60 people. The event was addressed by Gurvinder Sandher from Kent Equality Cohesion Council, Cllr Michael Hill from Kent County Council and Jatinder Birdi the Co-Chair of the Inter Faith Network for the UK. Their then followed a round table exercise where representatives from the Christian, Sikh, Hindu, Muslim, Baha’i and Jewish faiths talked about the tenets of their religion and delegates went from table to table to learn more and ask questions.

    Gurvinder Sandher, the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented “I am delighted that we were able to work with Kent County Council to arrange some events for National Inter Faith Week. It is important that events like this are marked and are used as an opportunity to bring different faith and community groups together to celebrate our shared values. The feedback has been very positive and gives us something to build upon for next year.”

  • Diwali Celebrations bring communities together

    Diwali Celebrations bring communities together

    The Mayor of Gravesham Councillor David Hurley and Deputy Lord Lieutenant Dr Bhagwaran Vasudaven were the chief guests at the Diwali celebrations which took place on Saturday 10th November at the Civic Centre in Gravesend. Lanterns and candles were lit to symbolise the essence of Diwali which celebrates the victory of good over evil and light over darkness.

    The event was organised in partnership by Kent Equality Cohesion Council, Gravesham Borough Council, Hindu Cultural Society and Cohesion Plus and started with a moment of silence to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the ending of the First World War. The 300 guests then enjoyed an array of performances by local young people including the Hindu Cultural Society, Saheli Dancers, Gravesend and Gillingham Shakha Group and finale by Four by Four Bhangra Youth Club.

    A special award was presented to Mrs Daya Sharma for her outstanding standing service and commitment to the local community over the last 30 years including being one of the leading lights in the establishing of the Hindu Mandir (Temple) on Manor Road.

    Once the celebrations finished inside, a community parade led by the Hindu Cultural Society featuring the Mayor, Deputy Lord Lieutenant and guests went from the Community Square to the Hindu Mandir.

    Gurvinder Sandher, the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council added “It was great to see the local community coming together from across different faiths and backgrounds to celebrate the festival of Diwali. It was especially poignant as the event took place on the same weekend as the 100th anniversary of the ending of World War One and what that symbolised with light overcoming darkness.”

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  • 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.”

  • 70th Anniversary of the Windrush herald a success

    70th Anniversary of the Windrush herald a success

    The 70th anniversary of the arrival of the SSE Windrush took place on Tuesday 16th October at the Woodville in Gravesend. The event was organised by Kent Equality Cohesion Council in partnership with Gravesham Borough Council, the North Kent Caribbean Network and 2B Scene Theatre and celebrated the significant contributions made by the Caribbean communities to the borough. The event was also supported by funding from the KCC Members Fund.

    The celebrations were opened with band Common Denominator who played classic reggae songs as some 250 guests made their way into the Woodville. There were also poignant dramatic performances around the theme of immigration and early racism experienced by the Windrush generation upon their arrival into the UK in the 40s by artists Caroline Muraldo and Gravesham resident Gary Cordice.

    Guests included Deputy Lord Lieutenant Dr Bhargwaren Vasudaven, Deputy Mayor Cllr Lesley Boycott, KCC Cllr Lauren Sullivan and Chief Officer Gavin McKinnon from Kent Police amongst others. Talks were also given by local charity Refocus who work with young people and there were performances by the Common Denominator Band, North Kent Caribbean Association and Folkin Fusion Drumming Collective.

    Special awards were presented during the evening recognising the many achievements and contributions to the borough by local entrepreneurs, business owners and community workers. Winners included Elliot Reid from Revitalize Health and Fitness Clinic and Thomas – James Bramble a young footballer currently playing for Gillingham FC. Others recognised included local barbers, Kimoy Kirnon and Paul Williams, Claudette Bramble who runs the Caribbean Active Retirement Group, Earlyn Francis local restaurant owner, and the Gravesend West Indian Football Club who enjoyed much success between 1984 and 1995.

    A special life time achievement award was presented to local celebrity/midwife Sister Ursula Sullivan affectionately known as ‘Sully’. The award recognised Sister Sullivan’s journey from Trinidad to the UK in the early 40’s where she encountered social isolation and racism through to her extensive and ground breaking work as Head Nurse at the Antenatal Clinic at the Gravesend and North Kent Hospital. It is believed that Sister Sullivan stopped counting at 1,500 when asked how many children she had delivered over the years.

    Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented, “I am incredibly proud to have put on this event in partnership to not only celebrate 70 years since the arrival of the SSE Windrush but to also recognise the many positive contributions the Windrush generation have made to the UK. To have so many guests in attendance celebrating the 70th anniversary during Black History Month really speaks volumes and I am so pleased that we were able to recognise and commemorate the prolific legacy the Caribbean community has established over the years here in Gravesham.”

  • Swale Light Festival Spectacular

    Swale Light Festival Spectacular

    KECC was pleased to have been a partner on the Swale Fusion Festival of Light which took place on Friday October 12th in Sittingbourne working with Swale Borough Council and Cohesion Plus. The aim of the festival was to support community cohesion and celebrate shared British values shinning a light on the things that bind us together.

    The Festival began in Sittingbourne High Street with spectacular performances from Bloco Fogo Samba, the Folk in Fusion Drumming Collective and the Stilt Batteristas which were enjoyed by the Chief Guests Deputy Lord Lieutenant Paul Auston and Deputy Mayor of Swale Cllr Ken Ingleton.

    The Festival then continued with a special lantern parade featuring local residents and 8 local schools that had created lanterns around the values of respect, excellence, friendship and equality.

    The celebrations climaxed in Albany Park which was specially decorated for the evening with ocean themed lights with a spectacular firework display.

    Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented “It was exhilarating to see so many people come together to not only celebrate the Festival but also our shared values that bind us together as a community. Seeing the smiles on people’s faces as the parade made its way through the town centre and their reaction to the musicians made all the hard work worthwhile. I just hope that we can raise the funds to deliver the event again next year working in partnership with Swale Borough Council.”

  • 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.”

  • Gravesham Eid Celebrations

    Gravesham Eid Celebrations

    Gravesham Eid Celebrations

    Around 500 people attended celebrations on Community Square on Saturday June 23 to commemorate the Festival of Eid, one of the most important dates in the Muslim calendar. Eid marks the end of Ramadan when 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 David Hurley and Deputy Lord Lieutenant Dr Bhargawa Vasudaven were in attendance along with Assistant Chief Constable Pete Ayling and representatives from different faith groups including the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara, Hindu Cultural Society and Saint George’s Church.

    The celebrations involved the raising of a flag celebrating the Festival of Eid, musical entertainment, fun fair, face painting 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 was pleased with the positive response that the Eid Festival received not only from members of the public who attended but also the many partner agencies. To me the Eid Celebrations were like the other events we organise such as Saint George’s Day, it was an opportunity for the communities of Gravesham to come together and celebrate our shared values regardless of faith or if you had no faith at all.”

    Ejaz Aslam the Chair of the Gravesend and Dartford Muslim Association commented “We had an excellent turnout to the celebrations. This is what makes Gravesham so unique. It was a joy to see people from different backgrounds and faiths stand together enjoying the festivities.”

     

  • Communities come together to celebrate Saint George’s Day!

    Communities come together to celebrate Saint George’s Day!

    Communities come together to celebrate Saint George’s Day!

    Dartford played host to some of the biggest celebrations in England to commemorate Saint George’s Day on Monday April 23rd. 500 Children from 8 local schools participated in the vibrant festivities which were organised by Cohesion Plus in partnership with Kent Equality Cohesion Council supported by Dartford Borough Council. 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 festivities began on One Bell Corner with performances from West Hill Morris, Premier Brass Band, Brass Volcanoes, and Cohesion Plus’ Folkin Fusion Drumming Collective with Saint George themed Stilt Walkers interacting with the growing crowds.

    The colourful parade started at the Civic Centre and made its way through the Orchard Shopping Centre accompanied by West Hill Morris, Premier Brass Band, Brass Volcanoes, Cohesion Plus’s Folkin Fusion Drumming and artistic partners LV21 and Same Sky. Once the parade reached the High Street they were joined by a large scale dragon and hundreds of local residents who then followed the parade to its climax in Central Park. .

    The parade climaxed around the Band Stand in Central Park the 500 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.

    Gurvinder Sandher CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented “The underlying work of KECC is to bring communities together to celebrate what it means to be British within today’s diverse society. Looking around us here today I think we have achieved that and I am extremely proud of what we have delivered. I passionately believe that events like Saint George’s Day should be celebrated as a means of bringing communities together and I am glad to see that Dartford embraces the festivities so completely.