LUTON COMMUNITY CELEBRATES EID TOGETHER AT LEWSEY PARK

Thousands of smiles were created at the Inspire Eid community festival earlier this week.

The two-day festival, which is run by Inspire FM in partnership with chief event partners Luton Sixth Form College and Barnfield College, attracted thousands to Lewsey Park in Luton on Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 May to celebrate Eid al-Fitr.

The event’s ethos is about providing an affordable Eid celebration and featured heavily discounted funfair rides, free family activities, international food and live stage performances.

Festival Manager, Mohammed Tariq, said: “It was amazing seeing families and friends celebrating Eid together.

“Making the day affordable is an important aspect of the Inspire Eid festival and is one of our key considerations when running this event. I want to extend my appreciation to all those who made this possible.”

Inspire Eid has been running since 2019 as part of the community radio station’s aim of ensuring people are not excluded from celebrating together due to the cost of a day out.

Altaf Hussain, CEO and Principal of Luton Sixth Form College, told the crowd: “If a community is all about its kindness, its integrity and its compassion, then Luton genuinely is the best town in the world.”

Cath Gunn, Principal at Barnfield College, who also joined us at the event, said: “It’s an absolute privilege to be here today.

“A big thank you to Inspire FM for their hard work in organising the event.”

Sarah Owen, MP for Luton North, the constituency in which the festival took place, said: “This is a real community event from the community, for the community.”

A key part of the festival was the ‘Every Child Smiles’ campaign which was a collaboration with local schools and Luton Foodbank to provide free ride tokens to families who need a little bit of support.

Liz Stringer from Luton Foodbank said: “We are grateful for the support from the community with the ‘Every Child Smiles’ campaign to ensure this event is affordable for everyone.”

Other speakers included the Mayor of Luton, Rachel Hopkins MP, Cllr Aslam Khan, Adrian Rogers of Chiltern Learning Trust, Attiq Malik of Liberty Law Solicitors, Salma Khan of Luton Foodbank, Jo Mylles of Challney Girls and Deputy Chief Constable Trevor Rodenhurst, of Bedfordshire Police.

Inspire FM would like to thank its supporters for making the event possible: Luton Sixth Form College, Barnfield College, AA Carpets and Furniture, Liberty Law Solicitors, Bath and Tile Superstore, Tops Pizza, Chiltern Learning Trust, M&K Solicitors and Murganos Grill.

The organisers would also like to thank Luton Council, The Mall Luton, MB Solicitors, Venue Central, D&G Amusements and Connect4Causes.

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