EVENTS showcasing cultural diversity in the town will gain greater prominence, it has been agreed.

After the second cancellation of the Mela festival in the town, Swindon Borough Councillor Abdul Amin, (Lab, Walcot & Park North), brought a motion calling for the authority to do all it can to bring back the event.

At a full council meeting held at the Civic Offices, Coun Amin also called for more festivals and celebrations to celebrate cultural diversity in the town.

He said: “The Mela festival has been a highly successful cultural event in the Swindon calendar which draws all sections of the community together.

“In recent years in a cash strapped council we’ve seen support being taken away from groups who may have had support in one form of another in the past “While I accept that the decision not to hold the Mela festival in recent years may not be entirely down to the council, we need to do everything in our power to make this festival happen by giving support to the Mela committee.

Cross-party support was provided by Coun Stan Pajak (Lib, Eastcott) who said: “Mela was and is an important part of our town.

"When I was at the County Ground the other day, I saw cricketers playing on one side, the Goan festival on the other side and on my way home passed two Polish men cycling. This fantastic cultural diversity is what this town is all about.”

Responding Coun Toby Elliot (Con, Priory Vale) said: “All we can do is help facilitate the event rather than fund it. We have so many events coming up, we’ve had the Goan festival, we’ve had the African festival coming up. We’ll do all we can to bring Mela back next year.”

An amendment to the motion was unanimously passed, which said the local authority did not have a commitment to arrange the Mela festival, but gave assurance the council would encourage more culturally diverse events in the town.