Gloucester Road Playgroup's International Fair
by Anna Fowler
8 April 2008
Japanese Origami, Scandinavian cakes, Spanish Tapas, henna hand painting and English cream teas are all on offer at a special International Fair being held this month.
It's been organised by Gloucester Road Playgroup and supported by the Oxford Road Children's Centre. The Playgroup is celebrating its centenary this year and, when it first opened, it marked the event with a tea party - this International Fair is the modern day equivalent.
The event runs on Saturday 26 April from 12.30pm to 3.30pm and entry is £1 per family. Local businesses like delis are being encouraged to support the event by renting a table during the day and selling their products. The Playgroup is already being supported by Caversham-based food company Ella's Kitchen and is looking for further sponsorship, including fund-matching.
There will be free activities and workshops covering a range of topics like storytelling, foreign language tuition, music and dance. And a range of food and refreshment stalls offering a wide range of goodies including Asian and Japanese delicacies and home made burgers.
The Playgroup is also compiling a special leaflet with recipes from different parts of the world. This will be on sale during the day.
Forty youngsters attend the playgroup which is run by a volunteer management committee and staff. Oxford Road Children's Centre, which is run by Reading Borough Council, supports the group along with all the other childcare providers in the area. The aim is to provide high quality facilities and childcare for local families.
Pete Ruhemann, lead councillor for Children's Services said: "This sounds like it's going to be a really interesting and lively event. It's also a great opportunity to celebrate the social and ethnic diversity of the Oxford Road area and bring the community together to learn more about each other's cultures.
"I'm pleased our Children's Centre has been able to support the Fair and I'd encourage other childcare providers in the area to get in touch with the Centre if they are planning fun days or fund raising events to see how we can help.
"The Fair will also give people the chance to find out about what support and activities the Oxford Road Children's Centre is providing now and in the future," he added.
Anna Fowler, fund raising volunteer at the Playgroup said: "This is the first International Fair we've organised. We have families from countries including New Zealand, Japan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Poland involved with the Playgroup so it seemed a good idea for us all to celebrate our different cultures and introduce them to other people.
"We're going to spend the money raised during the day on new equipment.
"We're grateful for the support we've had from the Children's Centre, we work closely with them to the benefit of the Playgroup's children and their families," she added.
For more information about Oxford Road Children's Centre ring 0118 901 5676 or 0800 3289148.
The Gloucester Road Playgroup is on 0118 959 9548.
