“I think these sorts of events are really good for social cohesion and the more kind of events we have like this, the better”

Mela Audience Member

2009’s summer activity ran from Sunday 12th July to Saturday 8th August.  Following the success of participatory arts ‘making’ workshops in a tent at the Mela 2008, it was decided to offer this opportunity with a connecting theme further a field throughout the Festival. The ‘We Made It!’ project was to encourage people who came to the Mela to then go along to Saddleworth Folk Festival to continue with their ‘making’ skills. Eventually, the participants came together, to celebrate what they had made at, ‘We Made the Garden Party!’ in the Oldham town centre on Saturday 8th August 2009.

The floral / horticultural theme came about from a number of sources; a poem sent in by a member of Oldham Writing Café using flowers as a metaphor for diversity in Britain, the arts social group that meets at the Link Centre for people with disabilities chose flowers as its theme for current work and finally the festival office formed a partnership with the Local Authority Parks and Countryside Service whose remit includes promoting the link between horticulture and regeneration. With this decision in place the Festival of Diversity was able to support the borough wide ‘Bloom and Grow’ initiative and contribute to the community engagement element of the offer