Published on 1st July 2016

Children playing ball in front of the bandstand at Midsummer in Montpellier

Building positive relationships with people from all of Cheltenham’s communities is just one of the things that the borough council is committed to doing.

This weekend’s popular Midsummer Fiesta at Montpellier Gardens, Cheltenham, (Saturday 2 July from 12noon to 9pm) is an example of how communities are brought together to showcase and celebrate the talent and diversity in the town. The 2016 event sees a wide range of free entertainment and experiences for all backgrounds and ages.

Local music and dance performances will take place throughout the day, including local talent such as Subduction, Welcome Back Delta, Silver Sambistas and Variations Dance group. There will be salsa, zumba, and circus skills workshops to join in, plus football coaching with coaches from Cheltenham Town FC and wheelchair football with Saracens. Children’s activities include bouncy castles and fair rides; den building, face painting, army climbing wall, arts and crafts and the Music Man. 

Cllr Chris Ryder, mayor, says: “We work closely with our communities to ensure that Cheltenham is a place that all our residents and communities can feel a part of. This weekend’s fantastic Midsummer Fiesta is an ideal example of how we celebrate as many aspects of our multicultural society as possible.

“We hope that our residents are able to come along on Saturday, join in all the fun and help us celebrate all that Cheltenham has to offer!”

Cllr Klara Sudbury, deputy mayor, adds: “We are proud to live in a diverse and tolerant society and we will continue to work with our partner organisations and community groups to ensure that they have the support and resources they need.”

The council works on many other events throughout the year to support strong, active and inclusive communities:

IDAHOT day (International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia) in May celebrated diversity and this year’s schedule included a series of exciting workshops, exhibitions, talks and storytelling.

A multicultural women’s group runs weekly in the borough to help integrate women from ethnic minority communities who may be isolated; and council officers work closely with the African Community Foundation to organise Black History Month every October.

National Hate Crime Awareness Week in October focuses on awareness-raising and the council campaigns every year to raise awareness of hate crime, the importance of reporting and how to report.

Officers also work with Cheltenham Inter Faith to celebrate Inter Faith Week every November; and with the Jewish communities to mark Holocaust Memorial Day each January to remember genocides.

If any residents do have any issues, advice can be found on the council’s website and council officers would like to speak to them to see how they may be able to help.
Any incidents should be reported directly to the police on emergency number 999 or non-emergency number 101; or to the Gloucestershire Hate Crime Incident Strategic Group.

For media enquiries, contact: Laura Carter, communications officer, telephone 01242 264154, email [email protected]