Enjoy: Hope not hate; unity in diversity

Over the past couple of months I have not posted a blog. I hope you have missed me! The reason for not making any postings are complex, but needless-to-say I felt I owed myself a rest from such a self-indulgent and vain activity for a while.

However, two events over the past couple of weeks has motivated me to start again. The first was an extremely successful art project that was concluded in Castle Fields, Wellingborough (which is in the Ward I represent as a Councillor). I felt it deserved a wider audience and my blog at least provides, in part, for this. It involved three fine arts students from the University of Northampton who agreed to “decorate” a run-down and vandalised toilet block that was a real “blot on the landscape”. With a small amount of financial support from the Borough Council and the generous donation of paint from a variety of sources, the toilet block was transformed over a two-day period into a magnificent work of art. If you want to have a look at some photos please go to: Castle Fields Arts Project.

Such a project shows that with imagination, a small amount of financial support and loads of enthusiasm, derelict and run-down public facilities can be transformed, at least temporary – who knows how long it will last and when the Borough Council may eventually get round to doing something with the building. In the meantime – enjoy! Why not visit this brand new attraction in Wellingborough!

The second event was the very successful first Mela and Community Festival held in the very same Castle Fields on Sunday August 31st. “Mela” in Hindi means “community gathering” or “festival” and it certainly lived up to this description. Despite all attempts by the weather to ruin the day (it rained virtually non-stop!), it turned out to be highly successful day, with an estimated 2000 people visiting and participating – from all sections of our diverse community. This demonstrates that despite all the problems that we face as a community and society, we can overcome them together – by working together as one community, albeit from diverse backgrounds. The peddlers of race-hatred will tell you that this is not possible; that solutions to complex problems are only possible if we set one section of the community against another, when we scape-goat one group and blame them for all the ills of society.

This festival was a powerful demonstration that this is not true – we can come together, have fun together, eat and drink and learn from one another in a spirit of friendship and hope.

There are already calls for the Mela and festival to be held again in 2009. Watch this space for further information.

If you want t look at some photos from the festival (note there are over 400) you can view them at: Mela & Community Festival.