Rainbow Braunstone – St Peter’s Church’s summer festival, in Woodshawe Rise, Braunstone are celebrating having raised a record amount from the event.

Priest in charge, Canon Chris Burch said: “We are thrilled that so many people came to our special festival this year – in spite of the weather!”

The festival ended with a special Songs of Praise service with a Gospel Choir on Sunday 17th June as the end of a busy weekend.

Rainbow Braunstone celebrated the breadth of cultures in Braunstone in the 21st century, and remember the Act of Parliament in 1807 to outlaw slavery within the British Colonies.

Over the last few years St Peter’s has run a festival in June and about 500 people visit each time. This time the festival was launched with the help of Cllr Mike Jones, chair of Leicestershire County Council, Cllr Gary Hunt, Lord Mayor of Leicester and Cllr Bill Wright, Mayor of Braunstone Town. Each planted a hand print and signed their autographs to set the festival on its way. The hand prints began a giant collage of hand prints kept by the Church as a memento of the event.

Rainbow Braunstone held an exhibition on the slave trade in the past and the slavery of today. On Saturday there were fun events and activities including drumming, Irish music, foot-tasting, stalls from local groups, crafts and homemade refreshment stalls.

Rainbow Braunstone hosted special performances and workshops, including a Ghanaian drumming workshop by visiting Sekgura Ensemble, an all-woman British group who play music from Ghana and write their own tunes based on Ghanaian music. Mr Burch’s daughter, Rebecca, is a member of Sekgura and she is due to travel to Ghana in January to study more about Ghana’s musical traditions. Local schools are hosting Sekgura during the week after the festival so that Braunstone children can experience the music for themselves.