Social care provider Optalis recently held a cultural awareness day highlighting the importance of cultural diversity and harmony.
The event which celebrated different cultures, following the week of Diwali, brought together over 100 individuals who joined in with the festivities at Westmead Day Service in Wokingham, Berkshire.
Julia Harris, Optalis Assistant Director of Non-Regulated Services, said: “This was a wonderful opportunity to showcase some of the activities that Westmead Day Service offers and raise awareness of how we embrace the needs of different cultures within all of our services at Optalis.
“The event was organised by our Ethnic Minority Development Worker, Nighat Ellahi, who visits community organisations and groups that might not ordinarily be aware of the services Optalis provides. Nighat also runs other focused activities such as carers’ groups specifically designed for the needs of these groups.”
The Mayor of Wokingham Borough, Cllr John Kaiser, attended the event on Rances Lane and talked to both customers and staff about the cultural activities held on the day as well as seeing some of the services offered by the team at Westmead such as Rebound Therapy and therapeutic exercise.
He commented: “I was really impressed by the range of services offered at Westmead including outreach activities. I really enjoyed meeting Nighat and hearing about her valuable work to break down communication barriers.”
The event provided an afternoon of dancing, drumming, group singing and refreshments as guests enjoyed a range of music and vegetarian food made by a local carer’s group.
