On Sunday 20th July, we were proud to host a stall in the Community Hub at the vibrant Dragon Boat Festival in Canbury Gardens, Kingston.
Despite the rainy weather, there was a great turnout, and it was a fantastic opportunity for us to raise awareness of our work, connect with local residents, and engage with potential new volunteers.
Throughout the day, we were thrilled to welcome both past and present volunteers who stopped by to say hello, as well as members of the public keen to learn more about what we do.
We were visited by several distinguished guests, all of whom expressed genuine interest in, and support for, our mission:
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- The Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Councillor Noel Hadjimichael, accompanied by the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Sue Ansari, her Escort Jaseem Ansari and the Town Crier, Michael Seigel. The Mayor has chosen LEAH as one of the charities he will support this year, and it was lovely to meet him in person.
- John Azah OBE, local race equality champion, joined in the fun by playing our tin can alley game. He told us that he once shared an office with LEAH in the late 1980s!
- Prabha Shetty from MILAAP accompanied Mr Azah and they both won some of our friendship bracelets.
We were delighted to hear that the Town Crier’s wife had previously volunteered with LEAH, and that the Deputy Mayor herself was once an ESOL teacher.
Our Office Manager, Ruth, said:
“It was wonderful to chat to people about what we do, with all the amazing sights and sounds of the dragon boat races in the background. I loved discovering how many people had connections with LEAH and were interested in our work.”
A heartfelt thank you to all our amazing volunteers who came along to support us – we couldn’t have done it without you!
