Preparations have now started for the Maidstone Community Mela which will be taking place on Sunday 14th July at Whatman Park between 12.30pm and 6pm. The Mela is organised by a partnership of community organisations led by Kent Equality Cohesion Council and Maidstone Cultural Group and is produced by Cohesion Plus.

Funding has been a major issue for the Mela since 2016 nonetheless and following months of hard work funding has been secured from Arts Council England, Maidstone Borough Council, Golding Homes and now most recently from 2BS Management Systems (www.2sb.co.uk) based in Maidstone. The local firm helps implement and maintain UKAS accredited ISO Certifications, covering Quality, Environmental Management, Information Security Management and Health & Safety to larger national and multinational businesses.

Gurvinder Sandher the Mela producer commented: “I am grateful to all the funders for their generous support towards the cost of the Community Mela. I was really pleased to be contacted by 2BS Management Systems who shared our ethos for the Mela and believe in the vision of bringing communities together to celebrate our shared common values regardless of background. We are still seeking further sponsorship so if there are any other organisations out there that would like to be involved please do get in touch.”

If anyone would like to be a sponsor for the Maidstone Community Mela or would like to book a stall please contact info@maidstonemela.com