Despite the anticipated high winds and storms the rural village of Wrotham in Tonbridge and Malling was transformed with a series of light installations as the community came together for the annual Wrotham Festival of Light.

The Festival which attracted hundreds of attendees from the Village and surrounding areas has been running for over 10 years and is a popular date in the local calendar.

The programme of street entertainment started outside Saint George’s Church which is a focal point in the Village, where families were able to see performances by a street magician Sergio Baros one of the most popular performers on the Covent Garden and South Bank circuit. He was joined by Bloco Fogo Samba who brought the sounds of the Brazilian carnival to the celebrations and Folkin Fusion led by Bill Singh on the Dhol Drum and Lucky Moyo on the Djembe.

The lantern parade was led by the Mayor of Tonbridge and Malling Cllr James Lark and the Headteacher of Saint George’s Primary School Wrotham Elizabeth Rye. They were followed by hundreds of children parents and guardians as the parade made its way up from the Saint George’s Church to the cricket ground. Once at the cricket ground there was spectacular fireworks display which drew loud applause from those in attendance.

The festival was organised in partnership by Cohesion Plus, Kent Equality Cohesion Council, Saint Georges Primary School and Same Sky Arts. It was supported by Arts Council England and Wrotham Parish Council.

Gurvinder Sandher MBE DL the Artistic Director of Cohesion Plus commented “This year the event was very tricky to produce due to the poor weather conditions. We had to shorten the parade and start a little bit early but were able to time it right as the storms did not start until after we had finished! As ever I am proud of what we achieved, working in partnership to take arts and culture to the heart of a rural community, providing opportunities for children and their families to take part in a community arts celebration right on their doorstep. I am grateful to everyone who came and supported us despite the weather.