Community Sports and Fun Day at Ribston Hall High School in Gloucester - Thurs 27 July 2023

Gloucester residents are invited to a special free event aiming to bring communities together and offer fun, food, football and far more.

Over 500 people came to last year’s Community Sports and Fun Day at Ribston Hall High School, and this year’s event, taking place between 2pm and 8pm on Thursday 27 July, is set to be even bigger.

Organised by the Community Legitimacy Panel (CLP) and Gloucestershire Constabulary’s ‘Better Together’ team to celebrate the wide diversity in our communities, the event aims to build trust between police and local people.

The afternoon will once more feature sports tournaments in basketball, football and netball and people can sign up now to enter a team.

Other activities that will be laid on will include a climbing wall and a tug-of-war competition, as well as two top barristers being on hand and giving guidance and advice regarding stop and search.

There will also be a free buffet of cultural foods.

Representatives from Gloucestershire Constabulary, including the cadets and the mounted section, will be at the event to chat to visitors and explain more about their different roles.

Teddy Burton, chairman of the CLP, emphasised the need for the police and the community to have positive interactions. He said: “When most people interact with the police, it will be in stressful situations.

“But since the job of keeping people safe from harm requires an interdependence between the police and the communities it serves, events such as this one are essential in building trust by just interacting on a human level through sports, music, sharing a meal and also having honest conversations about our rights and duties.”

Better Together Manager Sandra Samuel said: “Last year was a fantastic event showing once again that we are better together and that we have more in common than we have differences.

“We’re hoping even more people come along this year to take part in the activities and sports on offer, or simply to talk to us, learn more about what we do and help us build a stronger relationship with our communities.”

Anyone wishing to take part in the tournaments is asked to email [email protected]

More information on the event and to share the invite to your friends and tell us you’re planning on coming visit: www.facebook.com/events/1372241786968750?ref=newsfeed