Hundreds enjoy Broadoak’s centenary Festival of Culture

Hundreds of Weston families joined a showcase of all that is great about their town at a unique festival held as part of Broadoak Academy’s centenary celebrations.

The school teamed up with a host of community groups and partner organisations for its Festival of Culture, a one-day celebration of the town’s talent and diversity.

The event ran from 11am-3pm at the Windwhistle Road campus on Saturday, and offered a wide range of displays, talks and hands-on activities for visitorn to try.

That included sports tasters with Weston Rugby Club and Uphill Juniors Football Club, while Cornish Gig Rowers who added a maritime flavour to festivities.

More artistic visitors were able to try some hands-on craft activities courtesy of Weston Artspace and an Afghan kite-making workshop.

Youngsters were able to engage with a team from Avon and Somerset Constabulary, while there was also a wide range of groups focused on promoting equality and diversity – values at the core of the Broadoak ethos, and supported by its parent trust the Cabot Learning Federation.

Those groups included North Somerset LSBTQ+ Forum, the Race Equality Network, the Multi-Cultural Friendship Society, Weston Polish Association, the Muslim/Mosque & Bangladeshi Community, the Hindu/South Asian Community Group and SARI.

Visitors – which included Weston Mayor Ciaran Cronnelly – were also able to enjoy music and dance performances, a wide range of international cuisine and even inflatables for youngsters.

It was a day of fun and excitement which celebrate all that is special about Weston – as well as Broadoak’s place within it over the past 100 years.

Danny McGilloway, Principal at Broadoak Academy, said: “The day was a huge success. It was heart-warming to see how the community came together to celebrate and enjoy the rich diversity Weston-super-Mare has to offer.

“It has only served to strengthen my pride in this town and the people who live here. Our community shares a wonderful spirit of cultural richness and love for each other, and our Festival of Culture proved that.”