Cohesion cricket day brings West Berkshire community together

Sport is known to bring communities together and this time it was cricket that did the trick.

Community United West Berkshire did its part in uniting the district on Sunday (September 25) through sport, dance and art.

Teams from a variety of organisations and backgrounds went head to head in a friendly competition at Falkland Cricket Club.

Among the teams were the West Berkshire Indian Community, Christians Together, Afghan Tigers, Thames Valley Police West Berkshire, Asylum seekers from West Berkshire hotels, West Berkshire Muslim Centre, West Berkshire Council and others.

West Berkshire Muslim Centre came out triumphant closely followed by Thames Valley Police. Newbury Town Council came in third.

The day wasn’t all sports though, entertainment filled the field with Indian dancers showing off their skills in a traditional dance called Bharatanatyam.

The two female dancers told a visual story of “the beauty of cultural diversity” through their dance.

Young people from the Tamil school also put on performances.

Organiser and Community United lead Alice Kunjappy-Clifton said the event was growing in popularity. Around 450 people turned out, less than last year but still a good turnout considering the cost of living.

She said: “This year we had an Afro Caribbean group, so this year there were more groups than last year.

“The whole point of Community United is about integration; it was lovely to see communities come together.

“We have had amazing remarks with people saying it was lovely to see so much diversity.”

She added: “We also had amazing weather compared to what we have had today. People were saying ‘Alice has put an order in’ because it was so warm.”

Asylum seekers staying in hotels across the district came out to volunteer.

“The Afghans from the hotel, they were so good,” Mrs Kunjappy-Clifton said.

“They were very grateful for what we did.

“All they wanted to do is belong. All people want is to belong.”

Attendees were able to get vaccinated at the Grab a Jab van, with 30 vaccines being taken.

Food from a variety of cuisines from Asian to Caribbean were also on offer.

Bags with the Community United logo were being printed for people to take home.

Charities and other community organisations set up stalls, from Macmillan and Eight Bells to Berkshire Youth reaching out to the community in a bid to deconstruct misconceptions surrounding mental health, cancer and other issues.

Mrs Kunjapy-Clifton said: “Some communities don’t talk about mental health or cancer.”

Mayor of Newbury Gary Norman said: “It was really fantastic, it was a diverse group of people having fun.

“It is about bringing communities together, allowing community voices to be heard, I had a really great time.

“This is what the town council is for. You are there to represent all of the people in the town and the area.”

Mr Norman said he has been enjoying attending cultural events from Hindu celebrations to visiting the town’s Tamil school.

A Berkshire Youth spokesperson said: "The Berkshire Youth team really enjoyed supporting the community cricket event and connecting with families, teams and partners throughout the day.

"Our youth workers spent the day providing activities for children and young people, and were joined by Waterside Centre’s group of young leaders who did meet and greets in fancy dress costume.

"It was a fun event to bring the community together and a really lovely day for all involved."