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Fun-packed mela a hit

Denise Evans
8/ 8/2008

AN ANNUAL multicultural festival has proved a colourful and resounding success with Middletonians taking centre stage.

Rochdale borough’s Mega Mela was awash with brightly coloured banners, traditional food stalls and extravagant costumes as visitors and performers celebrated the North West's biggest mixed cultural event.

This year’s two-day event, organised by the Multlicultural Arts and Media Centre, was themed around 'World Peace' and included hundreds of stage acts performing on the main stage and around the Bowlee Park venue.

Performances by the Middleton Pop Star Academy were a real crowd pleaser on the Saturday along with professional Kabaddi, which is an Asian form of wrestling and the Langley Skylight Cheerleaders were on hand to wow the audience with their perfectly in time acrobatic dancing skills.

Sunday's acts included half Jamaican singer-songwriter Nadia Lowe, who sang two of her self-penned songs in true Reggae style with a rock band and popular Asian DJs all perfoming on the main stage.

There was plenty to see and do as visitors strolled around the festival with a funfair, puppet show and visual arts workshops all available to represent a wide variety of cultures, religions and traditions.

Despite a serious traffic accident on the M62 motorway near to the park, widely blamed for causing a lower than expected turnout of spectators on the Sunday, there was still a real carnival atmoshere created with visitors really enjoying the entertainment on offer.

And unlike the torrential rain which put a dampener on the 2007 Bowlee Mega Mela, this year the sun broke through the clouds to finish off a very well organised and action-packed two days.

Mohammed Sarwar, event organiser, said: "The organisation of the event has been great and everyone has worked so hard and all of the performances have been brilliant.

"The Mela is about bringing all the cultures and communities together and there was a great feeling that everyone was part of the whole event - a real sense of togetherness.

"We have been very lucky with the weather this year as it has not rained like it did last year but unfortunately the car crash on the M62 affected the turnout on Sunday.

"I would like to thank those who found the funding and those who gave funding and we are particularly grateful for the support of both Middleton and Heywood Townships who gave financial contributions."

- Pictures taken by Jamie Lowe