The eighth annual Warrington Mela proved that the show must go on as the whole event was moved indoors to beat the rain.
After seeing the dreadful weather which was forecasted, the organisers took an 11th hour decision to move the Mela from Queens Gardens into the Parr Hall. Sadly the traditional parade had to be cancelled due to heavy showers in the morning but other than that everything went ahead as planned.
The Mayor of Warrington, Karen Mundry, not only opened the proceedings with a speech, she also proved what a good sport she is and joined in dancing and playing the drum with the Bangla drum band.
The Parr Hall stage was awash with dancers, local singers, Bollywood Music and even an Elvis tribute , Patelvis, helping Warrington celebrate its variation of cultures throughout the town. A clown and magician thrilled the large audience which grew throughout the day.
Cllr Anthony Higgins, who has the Leisure and Communities portfolio, welcomed the crowd in 15 different languages before saying “Today just proved that even the rain this morning couldn’t put a dampener on Warrington Mela 18.
The Warrington Mela is one of the must attend community events in the calendar and the turnout today proves that.
Nothing can bring a community together better than when we celebrate all that is positive, and Warrington is leading on this issue.”
The event was again organised by WECA with the help from partners including Culture Warrington, Warrington Borough Council, Golden Gates Housing Trust, Cheshire Police Constabulary, Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service, Stronger Together and Warrington Voluntary Action.
On behalf of the Organising Committee Mo Hussain said “Despite the dreadful weather, it was so nice to see so many people from different communities attending the Warrington Mela. It is such a pleasure to see the hard work of WECA volunteers paying off.
It is really important and vital that these types of event take place locally, regionally and nationally specially with everything that is happening around the world.
We must help all the different communities to come together and learn from one another, build social cohesion and break down barriers.
We are really pleased with WBC for their continuous support for the diverse community of Warrington. Also David Keane PCC for attending and sponsoring our event .
Finally a big thank you to everyone who attended and supported this great event.”
Warrington’s MELA brings local people together, from all the various communities within the town including Asian communities, the Russian community, Polish and the Chinese communities. MELA’s are traditionally an Asian celebration but WECA (Warrington Ethnic Communities Association) decided to break away from the norm and instead celebrate the rich and diverse cultures of Warrington.
Jules Horsefield
Rimka Drum
