Dartford South Asian Heritage Month Celebration Brings Community Together

Cohesion Plus were proud to deliver the Dartford South Asian Heritage Month celebration on Tuesday 7 July 2026 at the Orchard West Theatre, working in partnership with Kent Equality Cohesion Council, Dartford Borough Council, Orchard West Theatre and supported by Arts Council England.

The evening brought together local residents, artists, community representatives and civic guests to celebrate South Asian culture, local talent and the contribution made by community champions in Dartford.

Welcome speeches were given by Gurvinder Sandher MBE DL, Artistic Director of Cohesion Plus speaking in his role as Deputy Lieutenant of Kent representing the Lord Lieutenant, Cllr Jeremy Kite, Leader of Dartford Borough Council, and Cllr Avtar Sandhu MBE. They spoke about the importance of South Asian Heritage Month and the role South Asian communities have played in the life of Dartford over many years.

The performances began with the Kasthuri School of Arts who opened the artistic programme with a colourful dance performance. They were followed by Soptosur Music School, who showcased local musical talent and brought a strong community feel to the evening.

There was also a Kathak and Bharatanatyam dance performances The dancers performed classical Indian choreography, using movement, rhythm and expression to share traditions from different parts of India with the audience. They were followed by the Dartford Nepalese Community Group and then Four by Four Bhangra brought the performance element of the evening to a close.

One of the main parts of the evening was the Dev Sharma Community Awards. Dev Sharma was a long-standing chair of Cohesion Plus and former Director of the North West Kent Racial Equality Council.

Awards were given to 3 local champions who have served the community selflessly over many years. They were the founder of the Dartford Nepalese Community Group Dr Chandika Bhatta, Baldev Singh Bains from the Guru Hargobind Gurdwara in Dartford and Cllr Avtar Sandhu MBE the current Mayor of the borough

The event also featured the premiere of a new film from Series 3 of Big Stories, Local Legends, a series of short films produced by Cohesion Plus celebrating local people and their stories. This latest film focused on the late Darshan Singh Sandhu the father of Cllr Avtar Sandhu MBE and Cllr Rags Sandhu. It told the story of his journey, his values and the contribution he made to Dartford, while also highlighting the wider story of first-generation South Asian residents who helped build strong community links in the town.

Gurvinder Sandher MBE DL, Artistic Director of Cohesion Plus, commented:

“We were really pleased to bring people together once again in Dartford to mark South Asian Heritage Month. The evening had a bit of everything, from local dance and music to community awards and the premiere of our latest Big Stories, Local Legends film. What made it special was that it was rooted in local people and local stories. At a time when there is so much division around, events like this are important because they show that people can be proud of their heritage, proud of where they live and proud to be part of modern Britain.”