Even with the rain coming down, visitors to Oldham town centre were not put off on Saturday as people flocked to the Taste, See, Learn, Afro and Caribbean food event outside of Primark.
Organised by the All Nations Charitable Trust/Church the event was a great success with many people asking when the event would be on again and taking home recipes so they could cook the food on offer for themselves.
Mahongo Shibemba, from the All Nations Charitable Trust/Church, said: “I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who came out in the wet weather on Saturday. There was great community spirit in action with many insightful conversations taking place and cultures and customs shared. There was such a diverse range of people from different backgrounds enjoying the food together. To me, that’s what Oldham is all about.
“Concerns around Covid were understandable so the Oldham public health team were on hand with lateral flow test kits which people gladly took, and many discussions were had around Covid and getting vaccinated to protect yourself against it.
“After such a success we’re hoping to bring the event back again next year with even more on offer for people to come and enjoy!”
The event was supported by Action Together, who provide advice and support to voluntary, community, and faith groups and organisations in the area.
Their Locality Lead, Laura Windsor-Welsh, said: “It’s brilliant to see successful community led events in Oldham that are bringing people together. This is just one example of the many ways our active voluntary groups are doing great things in their communities.
“We’ve seen such a great response to the Covid pandemic by organisations like this in Oldham. The amount of support that has been provided by volunteers and local people eager to help has been staggering. We’re proud to have supported this event and hope we see more like it in the future.”
With this event over it brings 2021’s Black History Month to a close.
Oldham Council say it will be supporting the month again next year, when the authority hopes to put on more events to celebrate the diversity of the borough.
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