Ashford Borough Council celebrates Dashain/Tihar with Nepalese community

Recently, Cllr Peter Feacey – Ashford Borough Council’s Armed Forces Champion – was invited to be Chief Guest at the Nepalese Dashain/Tihar Celebration Party, which was hosted by the Sagarmatha Gurkha/Nepalese Community Ashford Kent (SGNCAK).

Dashain is the longest festival in Nepal, honouring Goddess Durga’s victory over the demon Mahishasura and lasts for 15 days, while Tihar is known as ‘the festival of lights’ and celebrates the bond between humans and nature.

At the event, SGNCAK awarded certificates to individuals within their community who have made a big difference over the past year, with Cllr Feacey both signing and presenting these certificates to the individuals in question.

In addition, Cllr Feacey gave a speech thanking SGNCAK for their sacrifice over the past two centuries in supporting Britain in armed conflicts around the world, while also thanking them for their continued contribution to the Ashford community.

“The work that SGNCAK does for the Ashford community is incredibly valued and I was both delighted and honoured to be made Chief Guest for the Dashain/Tihar Celebration Party,” Cllr Feacey said.

Earlier this year, SGNCAK hosted their annual Ashford community clean-up, which saw 200 volunteers don hi-vis vests and personal equipment before picking up huge piles of litter before disposing it.

Also, last December, SGNCAK collected 29 boxes of food items and £501 in cash donations for the town’s FareShare Kent food bank, which made a huge difference for those struggling ahead of Christmas.