A fundraiser has been launched to help Carlisle’s annual Culture Bazaar go ahead.
The free event has been celebrating and uniting the diverse communities of Carlisle and Cumbria for 18 years, attracting tens of thousands of visitors.
But this year, Multicultural Cumbria, who organise the bazaar, are running a Crowdfunding appeal for the first time to raise funds to help towards the costs of staging this year’s event.
Saj Ghafoor, founder of Culture Bazaar, said: “We are appealing for small donations from individuals and organisations to help create a memorable event for the city once again.
“The Culture Bazaar is always a great occasion with so much planned – what better way than to use music, dance, food arts and crafts to bring people together without the barrier of language. And that is needed more than ever now to show there is no place for racism in Cumbria.”
Saj’s appeal comes after distressing incidents in 2024 which saw the racist abuse of a black schoolboy and a demonstration against refugees in Carlisle.
Multicultural Cumbria hopes the Culture Bazaar will help promote cultural understanding and integration in the community.
The charity uses music, art, dance and food to overcome barriers that may block people from developing a sense of unity and belonging, and help reduce isolation.
There are now more than 80 nationalities living and working in the county while more than 70 languages are spoken in Cumbria’s schools.
This year’s two-day Culture Bazaar event runs on Saturday May 3 and Sunday May 4 with the theme of A City United.
Nick Kennon, managing director at Carlisle solicitors Wragg Mark-Bell, said: “Wragg Mark-Bell is always very happy to support this wonderful event which celebrates the inclusivity and diversity of Carlisle.
“Our firm is proud of its long association with Multicultural Cumbria, and it is fantastic to see how much they have achieved and how their work improves our community. As they say, we are stronger united, and we firmly believe that.”
