REPRESENTATIVES from different religious and community groups in Thurrock joined borough Mayor Cllr James Halden, Thurrock Council leader Cllr Rob Gledhill and communities portfolio holder Cllr Qaisar Abbas at the Civic Offices to celebrate 75 years of independence for India and Pakistan. 

The event, which took place yesterday (Wednesday, 10 August) was a celebration of each country's traditions, culture and music.

Cllr Halden said: "Thank you to everybody who attended the event today and brought a little piece of their heritage with them into the Mayor's Parlour. I enjoyed listening to so many different stories about people's experiences of our borough and look forward to more of these events in future. Pakistan and India are both countries rich in culture and I am glad that we could all celebrate this together today." 

Cllr Abbas added: "I am extremely proud to have organised this event, the first of its kind in Thurrock. Our civic offices are now being used to celebrate different cultures and bring communities together. Something which was shown today through the council's support for different artists and cultural organisations. All of us had a great time listening to musical performances and actively discussing how we can make Thurrock into a more positive space for all our communities. Of course I have to thank the Mayor and Leader for helping host this celebration." 

Cllr Halden cuts a cake to mark the event.