Kent Equality Cohesion Council

Tag: Worshipful Mayor of Dartford Cllr Roger Perfitt

  • Gravesham and Dartford Celebrate St George’s Day Virtually

    Gravesham and Dartford Celebrate St George’s Day Virtually

    Kent Equality Cohesion Council, Cohesion Plus supported by Same Sky Arts, Gravesham Borough Council and Dartford Borough Council have produced two films to celebrate Saint George’s Day.

    The films featured 13 local schools from the Aletheia Anglican Academies Trust and the Galaxy Trust across Gravesham and Dartford. The films also feature community partners, local artists, as well as the Mayor of Gravesham Cllr John Caller and Mayor of Dartford Cllr Roger Perfitt.

    Working with some 800 young people in the build up to the festivities, arts workshops took place and colourful Saint George’s Day flags were created with messages of thanks for the NHS. The films aim to celebrate the patron Saint of England and bring together the diverse communities of Gravesham and Dartford online.

    Gurvinder Sandher, CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented, “I am proud despite the challenges of the pandemic that we were able to work with local schools in Gravesham and Dartford to pull together an online celebration. In a time of division and isolation it is necessary to celebrate our shared values, unity and what binds us together rather than what divides us.”

  • 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.”