Organising a free annual multicultural festival for the people of Sharrow, Sheffield
Sharrow Festival is the highlight of the year in a poor but vibrant district of Sheffield. It engages all cultures and all ages in a one day event featuring global music and young bands, a community stage, a hip hop zone, a paint jam, international food, free children's music, dance and craft workshops, over 60 stalls, a Sure Start tent, five-a-side football and many other activities for over 5000 people. The festival also features a 'fringe' with events happening throughout the area
Why the community needs usOur festival brings together a community which experiences high deprivation but which celebrates over 90 different ethnic groups living together. Sharrow Festival brings everyone out to enjoy each others food, music and company, somewhere where they can bring their children (in their thousands) for a cheap and safe day out. The Festival is part of the glue that keeps this neighbourhood together.
Our impact on the communityTheir are immediate effects such as a reduction in crime during the festival, charities being able to spread the word, foster parent agencies and other community based organisations recruiting people and also longer term benefits as young people form bands to play at the event, other creative groups put on their own fundraising events for the festival and local shops display photos and even calendars of festival photos to keep the friendly buzz going all year.
We are looking for volunteers to help plan the Festival, organise fundraising events, help with the creative look and activities of the festival, help with stewarding and work on recycling festival rubbish. Together with several other community festivals we are planning a series of networking and training events for volunteers later in 2013 and into 2014
