Last month brought sunshine, smiles and delicious dishes at Winyates Craft Centre’s Multicultural Community Food and Arts Festival. From Malaysian noodles to Jamaican dumplings, there were plenty of foods to tickle the taste buds!
Redditch Loves and Inspire came together, with support from Worcestershire County Council Public Health and the Holiday Activities and Food programme, to bring the residents of Redditch and Bromsgrove a fun filled afternoon with free food stalls, entertainment, arts and culture from all over the world.
A Ukrainian dance group, local singers and It’s a Sign dance group performed live throughout the afternoon alongside food demonstrations and tastings. The pedal-powered smoothie bike kept children entertained, as did arts, crafts and a world story tent where they heard folk tales from across the globe.
West Mercia Police, West Midlands Ambulance Service and a Your Health Your Wellbeing Van joined to chat to residents and provide information and advice on staying healthy and keeping the community safe.
Lisa McNally, Director of Public Health said: “It was a privilege to support this amazing event which brought residents together through food, arts and culture to build positive relationships, increase social connections, celebrate diversity and ultimately improve their wellbeing.”
Watch the video where you can hear from the organisers Sue Yeng and Jo Bussey from Redditch Loves, and Karen Martin from Inspire. You’ll also hear from Patricia Chambers, who held a Jamaican food stall at the event, Pete Martin from the Drop the Knife campaign, and Councillor Juliet Barker Smith.
Sue Yeng from Redditch Love says, “We are a very diverse and happy town, we are very proud to be living here”.
