MORE than 300 refugees celebrated music and cuisine from all over the world at a special free festival which aimed to bring people together.

Monmouthshire refugee action group iNEED held its Hope Festival at Hellens Manor at Much Marcle for 500 people altogether.

The festival brought together supporters of iNEED with refugees, asylum seekers and those settled here from overseas.

Organiser Natasha Cadman said: “It was Eid, the Muslim festival to celebrate the end of Ramadan and daylight fasting, so it was a double celebration.

“We had around 300 refugees from Newport, Abergavenny and Cardiff and worked in collaboration with Ledbury Refugee Support to organise the event.

"We had a huge range of people from around the world; from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the UK.

“The aim was to have fun and integrate with each other and with local people, which was very successful and everyone was very happy. Children played peacefully and mixed beautifully and families enjoyed themselves and met new families.”

There was music from Syrian and African musicians, Latin American carnival dancing, beatboxing, and singing from Chepstow Community Choir.

Traditional dishes from the Yemen, Syria, Libya, Nigeria, Georgia, Eritrea and Iran showcased flavours from around the world- iNEED also made and released a recipe booklet, bringing together some of these dishes to raise money for their work.

Children were entertained with outdoor activities from Monmouthshire-based Wild Tots, as well as poetry, storytelling, yoga, hair-braiding and face painting.

Natasha said: “The day was very peaceful and we had a very positive outcome. We would like to thank iNEED volunteers, Ledbury Refugee Support and everyone who took part in delivering activities and a massive thank you to Hellens Manor for providing us with the space.

“Thanks too to Much Marcle Village Hall for letting us borrow their chairs and tables and to the Ledbury football team for the goal posts and kit. Most of all we would like to thank everyone who attended and celebrated with us. The day brought together a mix of cultures and personalities and we all celebrated together in peace.”

To find out more about the work of iNEED, visit www.refugeesineed.org.uk, or like Facebook/ineed.monmouth.newport. Contact refugeesineed@gmail.com if you would like to purchase a copy of the recipe booklet.