Football Festival And Family Fun Day
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29th April 2008
On Saturday 26th April 2008, the local East Timorese
community in Crewe hosted a Football Festival and Family Fun Day
for Portuguese speaking families from across the North West.
With a well established community in Crewe,
the East Timorese were keen to have an opportunity to celebrate
their culture and their passion for football. Invitations
were circulated to Portuguese groups from across the Northwest, and
seven football teams cheered on by their families took part
in the football festival at the Cumberland Arena and afterwards
joined in the activities at the Fun Day held in the Victoria Oakley
Centre.
The main focus of the celebration took place
at 4.00pm in the Oakley Centre, when in front of a packed hall
prizes for the winning team and runners up were awarded by Dr. Jose
Macedo Leao, Portuguese Consul for the Northwest, and the Deputy
Mayor for Crewe and Nantwich. Following the prize giving was
a media presentation by the host community and a traditional
dancing display. The day ended with a splendid buffet of
traditional East Timor food.
Support for this initiative was provided by
the Changing Community in Crewe Project, which aims to improve
communication and community cohesion between emerging and existing
communities, and the wider Community Development Team at Crewe
and Nantwich Borough Council. "I am very pleased that
the community invited our help and advice and allowed Crewe and
Nantwich Borough Council to be a part of their celebration event "
said Claire Wilson, Community Development Manager. "The local
East Timor Community worked extremely hard to ensure the event was
a success and we have come away with a greater understanding of how
our cultures work from both sides."
PHOTOGRAPH - Dr Jose Macedo Leao, Portuguese
Consul General for the North West, presents the trophy to the
winning team.