THAI, Scottish, Turkish and Bollywood dancing along with Chinese harp playing and African drumming were among cultural events marking a celebration of Aberdeen’s international community.The event hosted at the Lemon Tree in West North Street Saturday was organised by Multi ethnic Aberdeen (MeAL) and the Scottish Parliament.

The festival heard from a number of speakers, includ ing representatives from the parliament, Community Food Initiatives North East, Aberdeen City Council, trade union GMB Scotland and Aberdeen’s multi-cultural community.

The aim of the event was to raise awareness of the contribution people from ethnic minority backgrounds are making to the north-east economy and local communities. MeAL co-ordinator Godfrey Joseph, who has lodged a petition at Holyrood calling for improved translation services within the NHS, said: “There has been a really good turnout and the day has been a great success. “Our aim was to bring all the different cultures across Aberdeen together and share information.

“The speakers have been great and there has been a lot of fun activities throughout the day.” The parliament’s head of education and community partnerships, Rosemary Everett, also attended the event.She said: “Our aim was to highlight the parliament going into partnership with MeAL.

“It is a big initiative and we are tacking a new approach in reaching out to city groups with events like this. It is something no other parliament is doing. “MeAL’s petition is a great thing as they went from a group that didn’t really know a lot about the parliament to creating this petition. “All the days performances have been really good and there has been a great turnout.”