Festival of Rice and Spice (360G-EssexCF-A486654)

To support the annual free Colchester Festival of Rice and Spice in September to bring together the diverse local communities

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Grant Details

Amount Applied For 950
Amount Awarded 500
Award Date 2018-08-31T00:00:00+00:00
Beneficiary Location: Country Code GB
Beneficiary Location: Geographic Code E01021648
Beneficiary Location: Geographic Code Type LSOA
Beneficiary Location: Name Colchester 007C
Grant Programme: Code 2018/19
Grant Programme: Title Colchester Fund
Impact Category Maximise ability to strengthen community cohesion and build social capacity
Last Modified 2021-04-29T00:00:00+00:00
Planned Dates: Duration (months) 0
Planned Dates: End Date 2018-09-10T00:00:00+00:00
Planned Dates: Start Date 2018-09-09T00:00:00+00:00
Primary age group All Ages
Primary beneficiary Local residents
Primary ethnicity All Ethnicities
Primary issue Arts, culture and heritage
Recipient Org: Charity Number 1141954
Recipient Org: Description We are a community focused organisation and our primary purpose is to plan and organise communty events that otherwise will not be available locally.Our activities provide opportunites that enable individuals to spend time out of their homes in safe social situations. This reduces people feeling isolated and we believe contributes to good health and wellbing. We are also committed to create opportunities that bring people across communities together thus creating greater understanding and tolerance. The Festival is being organised by the Colchester Ethnic Minority Forum which meets monthly. EAIA members are active members of the Forum. This project is people led in the following ways: • The wide membership of the forum have expressed their desire for an annual public celebration of cultures and are keen to participate in both the planning and delivery of this exciting event. • The forum has strong relationships with BME communities. Representatives of these communities attend Forum meetings and are involved in the planning and 'delivery' of all activities. • Forum members are actively involved in the running of a weekly Minority Seniors group. Members of this group repeatedly articulate the need for an annual day of cultural celebration. Additionally, this project has the support (both in principle and in practice) of the Colchester Refugee Support group and AFUK. The Celebration is being organised through the active involvement of local community groups (as members of the Colchester Ethnic Minority Forum) and is also supported by Essex Police. At last years Festival run by the Forum in partnership with the East Anglian Indian Association there was overwhelming consensus that we ought to organise an annual Colchester-wide celebration day - a celebration of diversity - one that involves all communities. We have now committed to organise a annual event. A sample of the feedback we received: "I hope you could see how important the event today was to the Syrian families newly arrived in both Colchester and Brightlingsea". It was a real treat to have the opportunity to share an afternoon with so many people from so many places "……..Maria Wilby (Refugee Action Colchester) • ‘Good to have events like this to celebrate diversity. Great atmosphere!’... South Asian • ‘Everyone together enjoying the spirit of Life!’... White British • ‘Atmosphere very lively, like the energy of it, the mix of cultures which you don’t normally see in Colchester. Food has been really nice too.’... White British • ‘Loved all the dances from different cultures, great entertainment, everybody together from different age groups and ethnicities’ ...British Asian • ‘Atmosphere and community support was the best thing about this event for me.’... White Irish. 1. Anecdotally – people attending the event sought out members and friends of the Minority Ethnic Partnership. The mood was positive, one of excitement and congratulatory: “we need more such events in Colchester”….this is what we need to create greater social cohesion that breaks down barriers across communities”…”this should be an annual event in Colchester” Local organisations that supported in the planning of last year's event and who had stands on the day were all very positive as to the value and success. Most of them expressed a desire to get involved in future events.