Staff from East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) forged new connections and raised awareness among Ipswich’s communities by attending a special celebration event in Alexandra Park.
The team ran a stall and were on hand to speak with visitors at the One Big Multicultural Festival.
They spoke about EACH’s work providing care and support to children and families across the region, with one of its three hospices, The Treehouse, located in Ipswich.
The One Big Multicultural Festival was a free, family-friendly afternoon of entertainment and a collaboration between the charity BSC Multicultural Services and Ipswich Borough Council.
The aim was to encourage collaboration and cohesion between the many different cultures and religions that choose to live and work in Ipswich.
“It was such a brilliant festival,” said David Bartholomew, EACH’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Lead.
“Between us, we had so many positive, meaningful conversations, and we’re keen to attend more events like this to raise awareness of our work among the different communities we support.
“We launched our exciting new care strategy earlier this year, setting out how we plan to grow and transform services to support more families.
“It’s underpinned by seven key commitments, and one of them is ‘We will be inclusive’. This means welcoming every child, young person and family who needs our support, making sure no one is left out.
“Regardless of the community they belong to, every family deserves equal access, and we plan to reach further so no child, sibling, parent or carer feels overlooked.
“This is why attending an event of this nature was such a positive and rewarding experience.”
Visitors to the EACH stall were invited to write a short message about what kindness means to them, to be hung on a ‘kindness tree’ that will now be on display at The Treehouse. This theme was chosen as kindness underpins everything the organisation stands for.
The One Big Multicultural Festival took place on Sunday, 30th August.
Highlights included a children’s funfair and live music, sporting activities and food from around the world.
There was also facepainting, henna art and cakes and other baked treats to enjoy.
