LONDON
Dozens of parents and children in Wembley Central recently participated in the Father’s Day celebration at the Patidar hall in Wembley.
Joyce de Souza, an advocate in Goa, India, social worker and event organiser in Wembley, U.K., organised the event for Wembley Central Big Local which included various activities for children in honour of their fathers.
“Over 65 participants joined us to celebrate Father’s Day in advance on May 29. I thought of organising this in the half-term holidays as the children have holidays and Father’s Day celebration is not complete without the involvement of children in the celebration,” explained Joyce.
She said the Father’s Day celebration included a card-making activity for kids and all others willing to make a card.
“Craft material and stationery were provided to all participants who made beautiful and creative cards with meaningful messages on them. We had three judges to select the three best cards.”
Sangeeta Karia, Kaffia Clouden and Abbie Burrows from Wembley Central Big Local were the judges.
“We then had a poetry recitation by children. Ariana Daneen Fernandes and Precious Fernandes Calisto from the Goan community recited poems and dedicated it to their dads. We also had spot prizes given out on that day.”
A nursery teacher Maria Mascarenhas sang a Konkani song at the event, while many participants sang and danced to their favourite numbers, with Gregory Lawrence taking care of the other light background music.
“We had a guitarist, Seymour Barreto, and a cajon player, Rufus Dias, who entertained the gathering with their music. They made sure that the dads, ladies and the kids got on the dance floor,” said Joyce.
“Many fathers from the Goan community attended the event along with some fathers from the diverse community. We witnessed warm moments as the fathers were dancing and making cards with their children.”
Refreshments, snacks and food were provided at the event, while Natasha Martires from the Goan community took care of the decoration at the venue.
A police officer Aida Alem, Elvis Fernandes and Sunil Solanki gave away certificates of participation to all the children who attended the event.
Joyce highlighted the importance of celebrating Father’s Day and the need to engage the Goan community with the diverse communities in the UK.
“Father’s Day is very important as it reminds the community members about the contributions by fathers, their sacrifices and also tells us how a good father can leave a good imprint on the life of a child,” explained Joyce.
“The Goan community in Wembley usually attends only Goan events but this event was different, as people from diverse communities came together and enjoyed interacting with each other.”
“We must encourage Goans to engage with other communities in the UK, as this is our second home now and it’s not good for us Goans to live in isolation. There is magic when different communities come together. Not only did we recognise the fathers in our community, we also celebrate fatherhood together as one community under one roof. This was the message conveyed at this event,” Joyce added.
