Hundreds attend bandstand festival

SAMBA, bhangra, Irish dancing and a brass band were all on offer at a town centre event aimed at bringing the community together.

Hundreds of people turned out to enjoy the Bandstand Festival on Saturday (September 22) which is the first in a series of events to bring it and the Church Green area back into the life of the town.

The Carey Irish Academy, Someone at the Door, The Redditch Kerala Cultural Association and Redditch Chinese Association were among the groups involved on the day which also featured a range of live music.

Council leader Bill Hartnett said plans for more events were in the pipeline.

"I would like to thank everyone involved in what was undoubtedly an overwhelmingly successful Bandstand Festival which celebrated the borough's diversity and various cultures," he said.

"I am impressed at the high standard of talent on our doorstep, ranging from a six-year-old Irish dancer to Asian sitar and Ghara players aged over 60.

"I am proud we made use of our historic bandstand to showcase this talent - here's to many more similar events in the future."

Sue Yeng, one of the organisers, said the aim of the festival was to create a new vibe around that part of town.

"The event on Saturday certainly achieved that. This is the perfect time to remarket this space with a new image, creating a new event space in the town centre with a village feel," she added.

"It was great to see our community come together and you could feel a real buzz in the air.

"With a bit of tweaking the bandstand area could become a traditional recreation area once again which can only be heart warming at this time of recession."

Buy photos» Samba band Someone At The Door 39012020ncr1

Buy photos» Fay Yeng and Omega Miles at the bandstand event. People were urged to bring along their spare apples as well as other fruit and vegetables as part of a harvest share scheme launched at the festival. Pictures by Neville Collins 39012020ncr8. Order these pictures at www.buyphotos247.com.

Buy photos» Polish dancers Anthony Wray and Karolina Romanek 39012020ncr6

Buy photos» The Alcester Victoria Silver Band performed at the event 39.012020ncr4

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