Hyson Green Cultural Festival (HGCF) 2017 Annual Report

ANNUAL REPORT 2017

Contents Chairman’s Reflections....................................................................................3 About Hyson Green Cultural Festival..............................................................4 Roma Event 2017 ...........................................................................................5 Interfaith Sport Event 2017 .............................................................................6 Women’s Health Event ...................................................................................7 African Farm Festival .....................................................................................8 Hyson Green Cultural Festival ..................................................................9-10 Financial Statement 2017.............................................................................. 11 Committee Members.....................................................................................12 Thanks - Funders & Partners........................................................................12

Chairman’s Reflections I take deep pride and great pleasure to present the annual report of 2017 for the community-led Hyson Green Cultural Festival. The Festival is a day of showcasing the multicultural heritage of the community and most importantly, an opportunity to strengthen our sense of communal involvement and participation.

Each year, Hyson Green Cultural Festival has played one of the leading roles in the promotion of multiculturalism in the area. Everybody is welcome to enjoy different cuisines, sample local products, learn to truly appreciate the indigenous music and join in with the celebrations! Through its annual themes, the Hyson Green Cultural Festival has demonstrated unrelenting efforts of reaching out, not only to the residents of the Hyson Green area, but to ethnic groups living in Nottingham and surrounding areas - affirming its desire towards unity and community integration.

We have engaged with new community groups this year, including the Mongolian Association and Roma community, and next year hope to include other communities in our event, as we strive towards cohesion. A heartfelt thanks to all individuals, partners and funders involved – with their continued support, contributions and dedication – for making the 2017 Hyson Green Festival a resounding success.

About Hyson Green Cultural Festival The inaugural Hyson Green Cultural Festival (HGCF) was held in 2014 to bring together the local communities in Hyson Green to share and enjoy their cultural diversity. The great success of this first event in bringing together many different people and groups in a highly diverse area led to HGCF winning the ‘Best Organised Community Event’ Award from Nottingham City Homes.

HGCF expanded in 2015, mainly due to the strong roots we established with the local community. The funding from Near Neighbourhood helped us carry out six events which took place before and after the Festival, providing opportunities to engage with a broader range of individuals and families.

In 2016, the Festival continued to grow, seeing approximately 500 people in attendance; we are delighted that in 2017, number increased still, attracting some 600 visitors.

The Festival not only encompasses a good family fun day out, but it enables us to raise awareness and educate on issues arising in the local community. We have focused on: female genital mutilation, knife crime, hate crime and communities have been able to utilise free access to health checks by trained professionals.

Our events are facilitated by the management team, made up of 12 core members and supported by 20 dedicated volunteers, all of whom contributed over 960 hours a year to create the magic that is HGCF - bringing people together, fostering community cohesion, developing local skills, competencies and confidence levels and generating economic benefits from its operating and visitor expenditures.

Hyson Green Cultural Festival is growing in impact and numbers, becoming a signature event for many local communities. Our increasing number of workshops, exhibitions and sports programs are playing a major role in making the Hyson Green area a thriving centre of excellence for embracing multiculturalism and diversity.

Roma Festival – 9th April This event engaged over 1000 people who came from the Roma communities primarily in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, but as far away as London. The HGCF supported the event through hire of the premises and entertainers, experience in the organisation of events and recruiting volunteers. It was an enormous success and we put in place support for future events, working alongside Nottingham City Council who have allocated an individual to work with the Roma community and guide them through the necessary processes.

Interfaith Sport – 23rd April This event brought together young men, children and representatives of local football teams from different religions and communities to play matches against each other. The atmosphere was competitive but friendly and participants were awarded medals; the deserving winners also took home a trophy. There were opportunities to take photos with the teams and it was great fun for everyone - both onlookers and participants!

Women’s Health – 27th April HGCF worked with Self Help UK to support this event which was geared towards helping the community to understand issues around women’s health.

The Zumba entertainer was particularly popular and there were a good many participants. It was a sign of the success of this event to find women of all nationalities showing up. We were particularly pleased to see so many refugees had chosen to attend.

African Farm Festival – 12th August As well as promoting community cohesion, the annual farm day promotes healthy eating, and encourages communities to learn about the natural environment and where their food comes from. The event helped to continue raising awareness of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), an issue that is still seen as a taboo is gradually become easier for affected communities to talk about. Throughout the day, competitions such as ‘Best African Dress’, drumming workshops and sports encouraged attendees to celebrate their diversity.

Hyson Green Cultural Festival – 19th August With our ‘Celebrating Diversity’ theme this year, we found ourselves engaging with new groups, including the Roma community. We also welcomed the Mongolian Association, whose small yet emerging community were able to showcase their culture.

The range of music this year saw people from various backgrounds and multifaith groups on the dance floor around the stage, and we are delighted that everyone participated!

The following evaluation of the festival’s success was carried out by feedback from questionnaires and close groups discussions.

30%

Financial Statement 2017

Other £1015.00

Fundraising £352.25

Income Grants Receivable £21,283.50

Thank you

To all our funders, partners & volunteers. Looking forward to working with you in 2018

Committee Members Samuel Awolola,

Chair

Mandy Pride

Partner

Abdoulie Jah

Secretary

Steven Russell

Partner

Frank Kamau

Treasurer

Velma Hamilton

Partner

Tsend Badam

Accountant

Claudia Ferlisi Leikeisha Walters

Performances Member

Penny Cooper

Member

Valentine Nkoyo

Member

Esther Muthoni

Member

Funders & Partners

COUNCILLORS Berridge & Arboretum

Hyson Green Cultural Festival (HGCF) Hyson Green Youth Club, Terrace Street, Hyson Green, Nottingham, NG7 6ER info@hysongreenculturalfestival.org.uk | www.hysongreenculturalfestival.org.uk