Gravesham South Asian Heritage Month Celebration Brings Communities Together

Cohesion Plus brought local communities together for a special South Asian Heritage Month celebration on Tuesday 21 July 2026 at The Studio, Woodville Halls in Gravesend.

The event was organised and delivered by Cohesion Plus, working in partnership with Kent Equality Cohesion Council and supported by Arts Council England.

The evening brought together local residents, community representatives, stakeholder partners and civic guests to celebrate South Asian culture, local talent and the important contribution South Asian communities have made to life in Gravesham.

Welcome speeches were given by Gurvinder Sandher MBE DL, Artistic Director of Cohesion Plus, Deputy Lieutenant Gill Fargher and the Mayor of Gravesham, Cllr Alison Williams.

The speakers reflected on the importance of South Asian Heritage Month and recognised the vast contribution South Asian communities have made to the social, cultural and economic life of Gravesham and the United Kingdom over many decades. They also spoke about the importance of creating opportunities for people from different backgrounds to come together, share their experiences and celebrate the diversity of the borough.

One of the main parts of the evening was the presentation of the Dev Sharma MBE Community Awards which were presented to Jugjit Sian, Ejaz Aslam, Gianni Mala Singh and Cllr Gurdip Bunger for their many years of selfless volunteer work within the local community around sports, faith and community cohesion, demonstrating leadership, commitment and dedication through their work. KKB Group a local business who over recent years have done a lot of engagement and outreach work in the local community and supported different organisations and events were also recognised for their positive contribution.

The awards are named in memory of Dev Sharma MBE former long-standing Chair of Cohesion Plus, whose contribution to community life continues to inspire efforts to recognise those who work quietly and consistently to support others.

One of the highlights of the evening was the screening of a selection of short films from the Series 3 of Big Stories, Local Legends. Produced by Cohesion Plus, the series celebrates local people by sharing their personal experiences, achievements and contributions to the wider community.

The films provided an opportunity to hear directly from people whose stories form an important part of Gravesham’s history and identity, while encouraging greater understanding between generations and communities.

Additionally, there was a screening of a trailer for a forthcoming feature length film ‘Life Is 4 ½ Feet’ produced Arpinder Singh and directed Jeevan Singh, both local residents about Arpinder’s journey as a Sikh man wearing a turban in the UK and the vulnerabilities associated with growing up in the 1980’s.

Acclaimed Actor Ameet Chana star of stage, films and television with credits including Bend It Like Beckham, EastEnders and Life of Pi spoke about his forthcoming theatre show which is coming to Gravesend in the autumn called “Surinderella” which he has directed working with Rifco Theatre Company.

The celebration highlighted the strength and diversity of Gravesham’s South Asian communities and recognised the many individuals and organisations that continue to make a positive difference across the borough.

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

“We were really pleased to bring people together once again in Gravesham to mark South Asian Heritage Month. The evening was an opportunity to recognise the contribution made by local community champions and to share the latest films from our Big Stories, Local Legends series. 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.”

Cohesion Plus would like to thank Kent Equality Cohesion Council, Arts Council England, Woodville Halls, the award recipients, volunteers and everyone who attended and supported the evening.