The first ever Wrotham Festival of Light took place on Friday October 18 involving some 250 pupils from the Four schools in the Pilgrims Way Partnership; Saint George’s Primary School, Platt Primary School, Trottiscliffe CE Primary School and Stansted CE Primary School.

The Festival of Light was organised by the Pilgrims Way Partnership alongside local arts organisation Cohesion Plus, Kent Equality Cohesion Council with the support of Tonbridge Malling Borough Council and Wrotham Parish Council.

The Festival of Light took part in 2 distinct phases. In the first part the local schools took part in a lantern parade through the village of Wrotham starting outside Wrotham Church before finishing at the Cricket Club. The children were joined in the parade by the Bloco Fogo Samba Group, Four by Four Bhangra Dancers and the Hartley Morris Men.

Once the parade finished at the Cricket Club, everyone was able to enjoy a light show on the Sky Dome which was created by the renowned arts company Samesky and colorful performances by Bloco Fogo Samba Group, Four by Four Bhangra Dancers and the Hartley Morris Men.

According to Gurvinder Sandher the CEO of the Kent Equality Cohesion Council who helped organise the event “I was very pleased with how the Festival went. This was the first time that we have worked in Wrotham and I was overwhelmed with the positive feedback. The purpose of the event was to bring together the different schools in the Pilgrims Way Partnership through the arts and showcase some of the fantastic culturally diverse artistic talent which exists around Kent. Events like this also showcase the positive community relations enjoyed in Wrotham and the surrounding areas. We are very grateful for the support provided by Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council and Wrotham Parish Council in the build-up to the event.”