More than 50 residents gathered at Madina Institute in Clarksfield for a community barbecue and screening of England's World Cup match against Panama.
Everyone enjoyed burgers and chips before settling down to watch the game.
As a community hub, Madina Institute hosts events and activities to engage the local community.
Organisers decided they would take advantage of the World cup and the fantastic weather, so they planned a barbecue and showed support for England.
Director, Arshad Mahmood, said: “Events like these help the community to draw close. They are a great way of socialising.
“We are hoping the community will come out as a lot of us are football fans. The world cup is every four years and with the weather being as it is it seems like everything is perfect for such an occasion.
“Over the past six to 12 months, we have seen a lot of negativity and division between communities. Seeds have been sown by a small minority,” said Mahmood. “One of our objectives is to bring people together from different faiths and cultures.”
Mahmood said they wanted to recreate the atmosphere from during the Covid period when there was a sense of togetherness and people were looking out for each other regardless of ethnicity and background. The institute achieves this through barbecues, fun days, social and community events and workshops.
Recently elected Councillor Sonny Shah was also present. He said: “I heard a lot about this event. There was a post inviting dads and lads to watch the England game, so I thought ‘why not?’
“As you can see, kids are playing football and everyone is enjoying themselves. There is a barbecue going on. I’ve been watching these guys closely and I decided to get down here and show my support.”
Shah added that football doesn’t have a colour, doesn’t have an ethnicity, it doesn’t have a religion. He added that in the present climate due to addiction to social media and children staying indoors these kinds of activities are needed more than ever.
Zeeshan Khan, a volunteer, said: “Today is a football day. England will play Panama. We are here to bring the happiness. These kinds of events are important because football is a national game, and everybody here loves football.”
The event formed part of the institute's programme of community activities aimed at encouraging social interaction.
Comments (0)
Comments are moderated before publishing. Links and abusive language are not allowed.
No approved comments yet.