Southall Manor House and Grounds on Southall Green welcomed residents from the borough to a Family Fun Day, with music, dance and food reflecting the cultural diversity of the area.

The event was organised to celebrate the historic park’s past and involve local people in shaping its future. The host for the event was Harsev Bains, the chairman of the Southall Community Alliance.

It was opened by the Mayor of the London Borough of Ealing, Councillor Mann. He was followed by the MP for Ealing Southall Virendra Sharma.

Other speakers included three local councillors, Zoe Sellers, the Senior Economic Regeneration Manager for Ealing Council and Janpal Basran a Manager at Southall Community Alliance.

There was a 2 hour performance by the Tamil Community Centre children’s Dance group, the Stardust Steel Band, the Pushpalata Dance Company and Nishi Malhotra Indian singing and music.

The children’s activities included pond dipping and free face painting.

Southall Manor House was built in 1587 and is the oldest building in Southall. Ealing Council recently announced that it is to spend £560,000 on repairing and refurbishing the building.

A lot of visitors signed up to take for a tour of the Manor House led by George Twyman of the Southall Historical Society.

The grounds have recently been improved with the restoration of the pool and gardens. A new children’s play area has also been opened.

The event was a fun day to show that Manor House Grounds is a safe place for families and that they should start using it again.

A consultation booth was used to capture people’s views of the Manor House and how they think it should be used when all of the work is finished.

Visitors were also invited to take part in an oral history project, which will piece together people’s memories of the manor, its grounds and the local area.

The event was run by Ealing Council in partnership with Southall Community Alliance and Groundwork.