Coronation/Vaisakhi/Eid Lunch

We are very pleased that we have created a community within weeks of our launch on the Valentine Day (14th February 2023). Now we run two projects at the Slade Centre. The Community Sewing/Textiles Project on Tuesdays and The Community Craft Skills Project on Wednesdays. Each week more members are joining in and we are thinking of moving our Community Digital Skills Project to the Slade Centre as well.

The ownership of the centre belongs to our members and on their suggestion, we organised the triple celebration lunch on 10th May 2023. Vaisakhi was celebrated on the 14th of April, Eid on 21st of April and the Coronation on the 6th May. The Worshipful Mayor of the Royal Borough of Greenwich Cllr Leo Fletcher kindly consented to be our Chief guest. Cllr Nas Asghar representing the Plumstead Common ward where the Slade centre is located also joined the celebration as our guest of honour. The format for the afternoon was divided into three parts. (1) Lunch, (2) Speeches & Presentation and (3) Photo session and mingling with the members.

Ameen Hussain acted as our emcee and described the role of Slade centre in the area and introduced the three celebrations in the chronological order. All the celebrations have one thing in common to bring the people together and to create strong communities. Kulvinder Rayat described the importance of Vaisakhi to the Sikh community and the diaspora. Ameen Hussain followed with the description of Ramadan and its importance to the Muslim community. Cllr Nas Asghar spoke about her supporting role in relation to her representing the ward and her ambitious plans to support our projects. Worshipful Mayor spoke about the contribution of the Sikh, Muslim and Hindu communities in the borough. RBG thrives on its cultural diversity and each ward of the borough represents past and present history. After all the time starts in Greenwich. It will be interesting to add here that the Worshipful Mayor came to our celebration after attending the Royal Garden party the previous evening. Ameen Hussain recalled HM Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in the year 1953 and how people used to que up to watch the newsreel in theatres back in India. We have waited seventy years for the celebration on the 6th of May 2023 and it’s worth it. The pomp, the pageantry, the regalia, the charm, precise timing, huge crowd attendance, the golden buggies, the march and the music – It only happens in England (London). HM the King now is the defender of all faiths representing the multi-cultural nature of the country. Also, the coronation was environment friendly as the King travelled in the horse driven buggies. Ameen Hussain further described his meeting with the King when he was the Prince of Wales. How nervous he was to shake hands with the Prince and how the Prince made him comfortable with his grace and sophistication. He concluded with the quote from King Farouk of Egypt: The whole world is in revolt. Soon there will only five Kings left – the King of England, the King of Spades, The King of Clubs, the King of Hearts and the King of Diamonds.

God Save our glorious King Charles the III – Long Live our glorious King Charles the III.