Love is in the air at wedding exhibition

There was singing, dancing and laughter as different nationalities joined forces to share their matrimonial cultures at the weddings exhibition held at St Clements Church in Ordsall last month to mark Heritage Week.

The exhibition was the culmination of a series of community workshops held across Ordsall, Langworthy and Broughton looking at different marital traditions from across the world including Uzbeck dancing, international cooking and Chinese caligraphy sessions.

The Celebrating Diversity Group, along with social housing provider Salix Homes, Salford City Council’s Health Improvement Service and St Clements Church successfully applied for a Sharing Heritage Lottery grant to fund the project.

J Ahmed, chair of the Celebrating Diversity Group, said: The aim of the project was to bring different members of the community together, from all ages, backgrounds and nationalities, to strengthen community cohesion and spirit and to break down barriers that often exist in diverse communities.

Nilofer Shaikh, speaking on behalf of all the partners involved, added: The wedding exhibition was amazing and it was wonderful to see all the different members of the community unite and sharing food, stories, dance, crafts and watching so many people laughing and dancing together.

All the partners have worked really hard and through great partnership working we have delivered a really successful programme. It was so lovely to see communities coming together and strengthening their understanding of each other and celebrating the diversity that exists within our locality.

There is something extra special about the fact that we were sharing our experiences of weddings which by their nature are sacred and special events for people of all faiths and ethnicities. It was a real boost for local and community spirit and undoubtedly reflected the fantastic diversity that we have in Salford.

The project was also supported by Women Working Together, Start In Salford, Ordsall Community Arts, Wia Yin Society, Women Working in Stitches, Rainbow Haven, New Life Church, Langworthy Cornerstone, Holm Court in Pendleton and chefs Ray Jones and Rahela Khan.