Fundraiser a show of diversity

HAD a bit of a homecoming recently, hosting a fundraising evening at the City Church in Swansea.

- Kevin Johns

This was my home church. I started going to what was then known as the City Temple in my early teenage years and was part of the congregation there for many years before heading off to college

Last week the church building was used for an event to help raise money for the Rhodri Morgan Statue Fund with Mal Pope, Steve Balsamo, Ify Iwobi and a very international cast all living here in Swansea!

Rhodri Morgan was First Minister of Wales from 2000 to 2009. He stepped down from the Senedd in March 2011 and passed away in 2017.

Politicians on all sides of the Senedd described him as a “giant” of Welsh politics and the founding father of devolution.

Now while there were Members of the Senedd in attendance at the evening, the choice of venue and the performers supporting the night ensured that this was not a political event but a celebration of the various different cultures that are part of our great city.

Mark Drakeford, Julie James, Jane Hutt and Julie Morgan were among the guests - in fact, I got them all up on their feet to learn a few moves from the Ukrainian dancers.

The Sunflowers dancing group began as a therapeutic outlet for refugee women coping with the trauma of displacement.