Using community events and festivals
Bradford South Carnival: Raising participation and cohesion
The Bradford South Carnival originated in 2003 in consultation with the community located in the ‘Bradford Trident’ area. It developed from a desire within the local community to celebrate their cultural heritages and which would bring diverse communities together.
It was seen as an opportunity for the African Caribbean communities in particular to share a dynamic and vibrant art form with the wider community for which they have had very little opportunity in the past in Bradford.
Bradford Trident is a New Deal for Communities partnership and as part of its remit it aims to increase community involvement. Therefore through its Arts Programme it was able to support the event.
The Carnival has become a regular annual event which builds, develops and utilises the artistic and creative skills and expertise of local people. The Carnival has forged close links with the council and is still supported by Bradford Trident, meaning that in a few short years it has become one of the district’s key events.
It encourages year-round activity across Bradford District that will be celebrated locally, regionally, nationally and internationally with other carnivals and events throughout the world. Already firm partnerships are in place with carnivals nationwide.
Through work in schools and community centres the Carnival has engaged a wide cross section of participants and this in turn has led to greater cultural understanding. Each year its workshops are oversubscribed and attendance at the event itself increases indicating that the Carnival is a valuable cultural asset – and most of all it’s fun!
Contact: Steve Hartley (Chief Executive), Bradford Trident, Tel: 01274 431441, Email: info@bradfordtrident.co.uk, Web: www.bradfordtrident.co.uk
Ryde Development Trust: Celebrating the Island’s diversity
September 2005. The streets of Ryde are packed with people, 15 deep in places. The atmosphere is charged as record crowds lap up the energy of an illuminated procession featuring hundreds of performers - costumed, dancing, entertaining all the way to the lively rhythms of samba, marching bands and pounding soca music.
For months before, organisers and performers have been beavering away behind the scenes - developing and sharing carnival arts skills which have enabled the imaginations and creative abilities of people across the social, age and interest spectrum to take a quantum leap
And here are some of the ways in which communities have been engaged, taking carnival to their heart on an unprecedented scale:
“Professionally trained carnival artists passing on their learning in community workshops, after-school carnival clubs and community groups uniting different generations in work on carnival entries; samba bands – including one with an age range from toddlers to grandparents in one of the most deprived wards in the country; a major all-Island gala, showcasing carnival arts; a project which enabled people with learning disabilities to create an entry for this year’s Ryde Arts Festival Parade (another offspring of the regeneration programme); the creation of a leading edge specialist course, the first level II carnival course anywhere in the country; and a winter lantern parade generating a raft of learning and creative opportunities. The list, like the effects of this innovative approach to regeneration, goes on…”
It would be difficult to find a more powerful metaphor than the carnival for the change induced by the regeneration programme. Like the town, it was struggling, kept alive by the care and commitment of volunteers determined that this, the country’s oldest carnival should not perish from lack of interest. Its revival has been crucial to a tidechange in Ryde’s fortunes. It is a highly visible demonstration of the way in which local communities can be engaged and inspired. The result – a spectacular celebration.which is helping to raise Ryde’s profile and contributing to improving economic prospects.
In excess of 45,000 people watched the 2005 illuminated procession – far more than in 2003, when surveys were carried out which showed that around £750,000 was drawn into the town’s coffers by its carnival attractions.
Contact: Dave Chapman (Chief Executive Officer), Ryde Development Trust
Tel: 01983 616 362, Email: dave@rydedevelopmenttrust.org, Web: www.rydedevelopmenttrust.org
Tips & pointers from practitioners:
Community events and festivals are often great ways of building community spirit; so you may want to think how your trust could bring out diverse talents from the community to create an annual event that becomes part of the local identity?
Resources on holding festivals and community events:
The Arts Council of England Carnival Web Site (www.carnivalnet.org.uk) offers links to some of the better known events throughout the country and some links to some of the funding available for establishing community events.
