Kent Equality Cohesion Council

Tag: Maidstone Borough Council

  • Lunar New Year celebrations brings Maidstone communities together

    Lunar New Year celebrations brings Maidstone communities together

    Lunar New Year celebrations brings Maidstone communities together

    Maidstone’s communities came together on Saturday 21st February to celebrate Lunar New Year and usher in the Year of the Horse. Supported by Kent Equality Cohesion Council and delivered by Cohesion Plus working in partnership with Maidstone Cultural Group and Maidstone Borough Council, the celebrations saw people turn out in their hundreds.

    The festivities were officially opened by Gurvinder Sandher MBE DL, who warmly welcomed attendees. Deputy Lieutenant Andrew Wood DL and The Mayor of Maidstone Cllr Martin Round were also present to greet members of the public.

    The celebrations were officially declared open with the traditional “marking of the Lions” ceremony, a symbolic ritual that awakens the lions and ushers in good fortune for the New Year. The spectacle captivated the crowd and set the tone for a dynamic afternoon of performances.

    After the ceremony there dazzling performances by Kudos Combat’s Dancing Lions who wowed the crowds with their mischievous antics and SOAS University of London who performed traditional Chinese Tea Room music. Graceful traditional dance was performance by classical dancer Wei He. Jose Navarro put on an interactive show of traditional Chinese puppets thrilling onlookers.

    Gurvinder Sandher CEO of KECC commented, “It is always such an honour to deliver the annual Lunar New Year celebrations with the County Town of Kent and its welcoming residents. The success of the celebrations is once again a clear example of Maidstone’s commitment to embracing global traditions and celebrating diversity. It is always our goal to bring people together regardless of cultural backgrounds to celebrate together and ultimately, strengthen community bonds.”

  • Down pours couldn’t stop the magic of Maidstone Community Mela

    Down pours couldn’t stop the magic of Maidstone Community Mela

    Down pours couldn’t stop the magic of Maidstone Community Mela

    Kent Equality Cohesion Council once again supported the Maidstone Community Mela working in partnership with Cohesion Plus, Maidstone Cultural Group and community partners. The Mela which took place on Sunday 8th September in Mote Park once again played host to the diverse communities of the County Town welcoming all to enjoy a day of culturally diverse entertainment.

    Despite the heavy downpours those in attendance were able to enjoy a free artistic programme of performances from community led arts and dance groups. The offstage offering was just as exciting with an array of food from all around the world as well as information stands from local charities, community groups as well as Unison and Maidstone Borough Council. There was also entertainment and free music workshops for 0-3 year olds delivered by Playground Project.

    The Mayor of Maidstone Cllr John Perry and Deputy Lieutenant of Kent Victoria Wallace attended the festivities and warmly welcomed those in attendance. They spoke about the importance of celebrating diversity and the arts and wished those who had braved the weather a great day.

    Community Mela Producer Gurvinder Sandher MBE DL said: “Despite the wet weather we are so pleased to have delivered the Mela this year working with local businesses, community groups and residents. The Mela continues to be a vessel toward greater understanding of one another, promoting community cohesion and celebrating all that brings us together regardless of ethnicity, social background and faith. As always we are incredibly grateful to our partners who work tirelessly to support our work.”

  • 20th Anniversary of Maidstone Mela sees Founder Member Remembered

    20th Anniversary of Maidstone Mela sees Founder Member Remembered

    Temperatures soared at the beloved Maidstone Community Mela in Mote Park on Sunday September 10th which celebrated 20 years of bringing communities together from across the borough and was supported by Arts Council England, Maidstone Borough Council and Unison South East.

    Kent Equality Cohesion Council and its predecessor North West Kent Racial Equality Council have been involved with the Mela since its inception in 2003 when it was founded by the former Mayor of Maidstone the late Morel D’Souza in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. He wanted to organise an event to celebrate the diversity of Maidstone bringing communities together. The Mela for the most part over this period has traditionally taken place on the second Sunday in September.

    The 20th anniversary of the Mela was marked with a special presentation which was arranged by the KECC CEO Gurvinder Sandher and featured the High Sheriff of Kent Nadra Ahmed, Deputy Lieutenant of Kent Brigadier Wood, Kent County Council Chairman Gary Cooke and Mayor of Maidstone Cllr Gordon Newton. A silver salver was presented to Karin D’Souza, the widow of Morel recognising his contribution and leadership to the Mela over many years.

    There was a 6 hour stage programme with an array of diverse artists cultures represented on and off stage. Highlights included Uzambezi traditional Zimbabwean singing and dance troupe, Kitka Bulgaria Dancers and Square Peg Arts an award winning arts organisation whose choir consists of young people and adults with SEND as well as local community groups including the Maidstone Nepalese Community Group, Kerala Culture Association and the Maidstone Malayalee Association.

    Further acts included the Kings of Dhol the UK’s leading Dhol ensemble, Jassi Sidhu international Bhangra Superstar and One Love Orchestra who wowed the crowd with their renditions of Reggae classics.

    CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council Gurvinder Sandher MBE DL said: “We are grateful to the local community and all of our partners for their support over the past 20 years. I never envisaged in 2003 that we would still be delivering the Mela in 2023. Much credit needs to go to our community partners who have worked so hard alongside us each year to enable to Mela to take place and to celebrate the diversity and cohesion of Maidstone, our County town in Kent.’’

  • Maidstone Community Mela celebrates Her Majesty The Queen

    Maidstone Community Mela celebrates Her Majesty The Queen

    After much discussion and advice from both local and national partners the Maidstone Community Mela took place on Sunday September 11th. The Community Mela became a celebration of Queen Elizabeth ll life, and contribution to the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

    The Community Mela started with the National Anthem performed by Phase 5 Streel Band and then a minute of silence which was impeccably observed.

    Throughout the day images of the Queen’s life were shown on a big screen along with tributes from Civic Leaders from the borough. The Proclamation from Jubilee Square of the new monarch King Charles lll was also screened live and each stall had images of Her Majesty displayed as a sign of respect.

    There was a programme of entertainment both on and off stage reflecting the best of British and Commonwealth arts and culture, with the majority of the acts from Maidstone and other areas of Kent.

    The Chief Guest was Deputy Lieutenant Bill Cockcroft who was representing the Lord Lieutenant the Monarch’s personal representative in the County of Kent. He spoke about Her Majesty’s life of service to the nation and the Commonwealth.

    Gurvinder Sandher MBE CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented: “. We were very mindful of the mood of intense sadness which is being felt across the nation and the world. In the end after much discussion with community partners and funders I am pleased that we did carry on with the Mela, it allowed the local community to come together and pay their respects and celebrate the life of Queen Elizabeth ll.

    The Mela was produced by a group of community partners led by Maidstone Cultural Group, Cohesion Plus and Kent Equality Cohesion Council and was supported by Arts Council England and Maidstone Borough Council.

  • Maidstone celebrates Chinese New Year 2022

    Maidstone celebrates Chinese New Year 2022

    Maidstone celebrated the Year of the Tiger in style as hundreds braved the cold weather on Saturday 5th February. Kent Equality Cohesion Council working in partnership with Cohesion Plus, Maidstone Cultural Group, and Maidstone Borough Council arranged the first Chinese New Year celebrations since the onset of the pandemic.

    The celebrations began with the dotting of the eye’s ceremony, which involved waking the Chinese Lions and was conducted by dignitaries such the Mayor of Maidstone, Cllr Faye Gooch, the Leader of the Council Cllr David Burton, Cabinet Member Cllr Martin Round as well as Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council and Michael Lam a member of Maidstone Cultural Group and local business owner.

    Gurvinder Sandher commented “I was delighted to work with Maidstone Borough Council and community partners to deliver this event. Great credit needs to be given to Maidstone Cultural Group for supporting us and sharing out vision. We all know that the last few years have been very challenging with the pandemic so it was positive that we were able to welcome in the Year of the Tiger which represents strength and the overcoming of darkness. For me along with the cultural significance, it was also important to showcase that Maidstone Town Centre is open for business and that slowly but surely, we are coming out of the other end of the pandemic.”

  • Maidstone Chinese New Year Celebrations

    Maidstone Chinese New Year Celebrations

    Kent Equality Cohesion Council working in partnership with Cohesion Plus, Maidstone Cultural Group and Maidstone Borough Council have arranged Chinese New Year celebrations for the Year of the Tiger, which will take place in Maidstone, the county town of Kent, on Saturday 5th February between 11am and 1.30pm with performances taking place on Jubilee Square and Week Street.

    The celebrations will start at 11am outside the Old Town Hall where the dotting of the eyes ceremony will take place to waken the Chinese Lions, before they lead a procession through the town centre. The ceremony will be conducted by the Mayor of Maidstone Cllr Faye Gooch alongside representatives from the local Chinese community and Gurvinder Sandher CEO of KECC.

    Gurvinder Sandher commented “It is a pleasure to be bringing back Chinese New Year celebrations to the County Town of Kent after a year’s break. I am very grateful to our community partners and Maidstone Borough Council for working with us on the celebrations and we look forward to hosting a fun filled event which will bring together the diverse communities of Maidstone.”

  • Mela in Mote Park celebrates the diversity of the borough

    Mela in Mote Park celebrates the diversity of the borough

    Mela attendees turned out in large numbers with over 3,000 people attending the much loved Maidstone Community Mela in Mote Park on Sunday September 19th. The free community festival which celebrates music, food and dance from around the world was delivered by Kent Equality Cohesion Council working in partnership with the Maidstone Cultural Group, the Maidstone Mela Advisory Group and was produced by KECC’s sister organisation Cohesion Plus who specialize in large scale arts events. The Mela was funded by Arts Council England, Maidstone Borough Council and Unison.

    The stage programme offered an array of diverse talent showcasing various arts forms such as Samba music, Irish dance, Punjabi percussion as well as Grime Rap and Choir singing. Malayalee, Nepalese and other South West Indian cultures were also showcased through music, food and dance.

    Key partners such as Kent Police, Victim Support, Unison, Adult Education Service, Involve Kent and the Maidstone Dawn Patrol Rotary Club were also in attendance engaging with those present and off stage arts workshops were also available to children and young families.

    The Mayor of Maidstone Cllr Fay Gooch was in attendance along with the Deputy Lord Lieutenant Bill Cockcroft DL and Cllr Martin Round Chair of Economic Regeneration & Leisure Committee, they all spoke from the stage about how pleased they were to see the Mela back in Mote Park after a 6 year absence and the importance of having events like this in the borough.

    Gurvinder Sandher the Mela producer commented: “I have proudly been involved with the Mela since its inception back in 2003. The Mela has always been a wonderful way to engage with the culturally diverse communities of Maidstone, providing a valuable platform for diverse art forms and traders. I am even more proud to say that this year we were able to return to the birthplace of the Mela and thanks to the partnership with Maidstone Borough Council, Mote Park once again became the site for the event to take place. It is so gratifying to receive praise for the Mela from members of the community. For many audience members it was their first big outdoor event they had attended since the start of the pandemic which is a great testament to the appeal of the Mela. I would like to give special thanks to our key partners who attended and supported us in the lead up and on the day itself including Kent Police, Unison, Victim Support and Adult Education Service. Community events are that much more valuable and enriching when you have the buy in and support of local authority, statutory, community and charity sector partners. We look forward to next year’s event which we have already begun planning!”

  • Maidstone Mela 2014 Video

    Maidstone Mela 2014 Video

    See some wonderful footage of the 12th Maidstone Mela which captured the colour, fun and artistic quality.  The Mela was organised in partnership by Cohesion Plus, Maidstone Borough Council, Kent Equality Cohesion Council, Maidstone Mela Advisory Group with the support of Arts Council England.

    The Film of Maidstone Mela 2014 can be viewed below.