YESTERDAY (10 August 2022), a number of representatives from different religious and community groups in Thurrock joined Conservatives: Cllr Qaisar Abbas, Cllr James Halden and Cllr Rob Gledhill at the Civic Offices to celebrate 75 years of Independence for both India and Pakistan.
The event was a brilliant celebration of each country’s traditions, culture and music. A great way to bring local residents with heritage in each of these communities together to celebrate our shared values.
Upon taking the office of Mayor of Thurrock, Cllr James Halden emphasised his intention to throw open the doors of the Mayors Parlour to all and has invited community groups and businesses from every part of Thurrock to different events over the course of the last three months. He said, “Thank you to everybody who attended the event today and brought a little piece of their heritage with them into the Mayors Parlour. I enjoyed listening to so many different stories about people’s experiences of our Borough and look forward to more of these events in future. Pakistan and India are both countries rich in culture and I am glad that we could all celebrate this together today.”
Cllr Qaisar Abbas (Cabinet Member for Communities), said: “I am extremely proud to have organised this event, the first of its kind in Thurrock. Our Civic Offices are now being used to celebrate different cultures and bring communities together. Something which was shown today through the Council’s support for different artists and cultural organisations. All of us had a great time listening to musical performances and actively discussing how we can make Thurrock into a more positive space for all our communities. Of course I have to thank the Mayor and Leader of the Council for helping host this celebration.”
