The Celebration of Culture returned to Truro on Saturday (August 1) as a collaboration between grassroots Black-led community organisations from across Cornwall, each bringing ideas, energy, skills and creativity to the event on Lemon Quay.

Entertainment was provided by the likes of DJ Richy Bongo, Cornwall Reggae and Falmouth Gospel Choir, while a variety of toothsome cuisines was provided in the food quarter led by CocoBean Cornwall alongside the Cornwall Women of Colour Collective (CWCC).

The event also offered a showcase to community organisations working to foster diversity and make life easier for underrepresented groups across Cornwall. These included Kowetha - Cornwall, helping parents raising children of Black, Asian, other minority ethnic and mixed heritage origins; Calabash Bridge, a self-styled “home away from home” for people of all cultures, tribes and nations; and the Inspiring Women’s Network.

The event also saw the launch of a new three-year plan to support and nurture new and existing Black-led organisations throughout Cornwall, which currently has around 18,300 Black and ethnic minority residents – around 3.2 per cent of the population, according to the most recent census.

Joyte Brown, chief executive of Black Voices Cornwall (BVC), said: “It is wonderful to see how many new organisations led by Black people have spung up in Cornwall since the foundation of BVC six years ago.

“When BVC started out, our original mission was to deliver anti-racism training to White-led organisations, schools and businesses. However, we’ve realised there are people in the community trying to do this work with little or no support, and BVC can act as a communicator organisation, empowering and connecting others to build ourselves up as a community and move forward as one collective.”

Originally from Nigeria, Sussy Ini-Ituen has lived in Cornwall for nine years and is a founder member of Cornwall Women of Colour Collective (CWCC), which applied for CIC status in March.

“When I first moved here with my husband, I was pregnant and didn’t know anyone – I felt very isolated,” she said. “A woman from Zimbabwe received me and called me ‘my sister’, and since then I have tried to support women of colour by signposting services for new mums and creating weekly women’s spaces. There are now 300 of us.

“So many people have come to our stall to try our food – food brings people together, and this is a test run for something we can do in the community.”

Mimi Loveday, treasurer of Kowethas – Cornwall, explained how the organisation had been founded to give children of diverse ethnic backgrounds “a space where they weren’t the only child of colour in their class – or even their school. They could let their hair down, and it was a community for the parents to tackle racism.”

Cornish-born Chris Mitchelmore and his Ugandan wife Sandra launched Calabash-Bridge to support and connect with families like their own. “We have no agenda other than to support and offer a safe space,” said Chris. “Sometimes you need to be the change you want to see.”