ORDSALL FESTIVAL 20th SEPTEMBER 2008
What a change - the weather was fine and dry – and as they say the sun shines on the righteous!!
A lot of time and effort had been put into organizing the event Gail Skelly in particular was the co-ordinator and rushed around the various performers telling them when they would be on stage.
There were so many groups almost all from the Ordsall area and local talent was prolific – if only their enthusiasm had been matched by the attendance of people from the area. Most of the support was from friends and families of the performers.
However, the day went well, we had a samba band and the kidswidreams danced to the music, there were, Congolese dancers, belly dancers, hip hop and rap dancers, acapella singers, some groups performing twice. The atmosphere was full of brightly coloured outfits which represented the different cultures.
There were quite a few stalls, - One was showing children how to make use of old plastic bags and using them to make craft items. The Refuse Department were there with information regarding the new litter bins, and showing the items which are not recyclable. Ross Spanner manned the Friends of Ordsall Park stall, and Mike and Jane had a stall about Salford’s past and retracing Salford.
Ordsall Community Café were serving food in one of the marquees with their volunteer helpers. St Clements Church had a cake stall and tombola stall. The Seedley & Langworthy in Bloom group were showing people what can be achieved by community involvement in their local area to plant flowers and grow some home produce.
The last stall I visited was the remarkable story of the Sioux Indians who came to Salford with Buffalo Bills Wild West Show in 1887 and camped on the banks of the Irwell. There is still a link to their community in Dakota. There were artefacts to see and a craft stall with a Sioux theme for making masks etc for the grand parade at the end of the event.
The bouncy castle didn’t quite happen – they had left their safety certificate in Middlesbrough so were unable to set it up.
It was a very good day but there needs to be more advertising next time and more support from group leaders and businesses in the area
who could attend and support the local groups working so hard to bring all age groups and cultures together. We all need to work together to make this happen and not leave it to the few who are already working so hard to benefit the area. Bring back the community spirit!!
Sylvia Sharples
Community Reporter
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1 comment:
Seconded re: more advertising needed. I only heard about it because a relative was part of one of the dance displays, and the neighbours I met only knew because one of their kids was participating too.
However, apart from the dispays, it was very disappointing. The Salford history stuff was interesting, let down by their selection of maps not actually covering most of Ordsall. And there was nothing for the baby to do. The bouncy castle would have been an option had it appeared.
Finally, walking home, we were stopped by a car driver who was lost while trying to find the park (another relative of a performer.) Perhaps some signage off Trafford Road might have been useful too.
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