Success as hundreds turn out for NWAS Community event
Friday, 20 March, 2009
An NWAS event which celebrated the cultural diversity of communities across the North West has been branded a "great success."
More than 350 people attended the Bridgewater Hall event on Saturday (7 March) and both Surinder Sharma, Department of Health Director of Equality and Human Rights, and John Burnside, Chief Executive of NWAS, have offered glowing praise to the event.
John said: "It was fantastic to see representatives from so many groups and organisations. Everyone who came along played an important part in the day which turned out to be a great success."
Echoing his comments, Surinder added that it was a "special day" which brought together representatives from different community groups to celebrate the rich cultural, social and traditional aspects which define their identity within society. Surinder and NWAS Chairperson, Mary Whyham, officially opened the event.
An African dance troupe, signing choirs from both Liverpool and Chester and a Chinese folk dance group were just some of the guests putting in an appearance at the event. Other acts included Hindu dancers, a Congolese music group as well as an adult Tai Chi class.
People took the opportunity to visit the 35 stands, exhibitions and educational displays - including the Ghana Cultural Heritage Centre, the Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People and NWASs Community First Responders amongst others.
Three vehicles - including an ambulance, rapid response vehicle and an incident support unit, together with an ambulance cycle - were on hand for visitors to take a look at, and proved a big hit with the children.
The Trust's Human Resources team were also on hand to give valuable advice to those interested in joining the service and also to tackle perceptions of barriers to recruitment.
During the event, the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust obtained the opinions and perceptions of community groups through formal and informal consultation. The results of which will help to build on existing and forge new relationships to improve community engagement.
Sarah Smith, Assistant Director of Communications, said: "We established a number of community links through this event and their feedback so far has been incredibly positive. We look forward to working together with these groups to produce future events.
"We would like to thank everyone involved in the event for making it such a huge success. A big thank you goes to all the groups, performers and guests for making it such a memorable day, as well as those who organised the event and assisted on the day, ensuring that everything ran smoothly."
During the course of the event, a film was produced and will soon be available to view on the Trust's website www.nwas.nhs.uk
