Mayor Brenda Stevenson celebrates with the Derry City Council’s Commkunity Relations Team.
Derry City Council’s Community Relations Team has scooped a prestigious award for the second year in a row for its success in organising the city’s first major Indian cultural event, “Diwali Festival of Light 2013.”
Mayor, Councillor Brenda Stevenson, accompanied representatives from Council’s Community Relations Team to The Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) Service Awards 2014 which were presented by Maria Filippov, of Dancing on Ice fame, at a charity dinner in aid of Parkinsons UK, at the Capital FM National Ice Arena in Nottingham.
Derry City Council were announced winners of the Best Public/Voluntary Partnership Working Initiative at the APSE Service Awards which attract entries from local authorities across Britain and they were the only council in Northern Ireland to win an award for the second year running.
Council’s Community Relations Team were also finalists in the Service Team category – Sports, Leisure and Cultural – of the annual Awards competition.
The Diwali Festival of Light held in Derry’s Guildhall last November as part of City of Culture 2013, attracted 2000 participants.
A supporting educational programme with 22 workshops in local schools was also held, integrating Indian culture into the city’s legendary Hallowe’en festivities, promoting inclusion and diversity and challenging racism.
The event brought the locally resident Indian community from three main religions and languages together for the first time in a community planning, capacity building process and joint initiative with Derry City Council.
Congratulating the Community Relations Team on their winning submission, Councillor Stevenson said: “The Diwali Festival of Light was a fantastic celebration of Indian culture and Council’s Community Relations Team are to be applauded not just for their success in organising such a successful event but also on winning this prestigious UK award in recognition of what we hope will become a key annual cultural festival in the North West.”
Susan Mullan, Derry City Council’s Head of Community Services, also expressed her delight on behalf of the Community Relations Team on winning the APSE award and said everyone was now looking forward to Diwali 2014 which will be held in the Millennium Forum on Sunday, 26 October 26 next.
The Indian annual national festival of light will feature an array of family-friendly craft activities including Henna tattoos, saris, turbans, as well as traditional Indian food and a showcase of music and dance which will be performed at 5.30pm and again at 8.00pm.
Tickets for Diwali 2014, priced at £2, are available from the Millennium Forum Box Office, telephone 02871 264455 or online at www. millenniumforum.co.uk.
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