It was a packed gathering at the Sikh Community Hall in Swindon on April 9, as the Goan Chaplaincy, Swindon, hosted the 4th annual Goan Chaplaincy Easter Dance.
The event featured entertainment with Swindon’s topmost band ‘Rainbows End’ providing dancing music and keeping the record crowd glued to the dancing floor for almost five hours.
Children were treated with Easter Eggs which put a big smile on their faces while everyone else was busy dancing the night away to the music from the band who played non-stop through the night.
The Sikh community hall was decorated by Jas Media Decorators under the leadership of Annabelle Soares, while the in-house catering was provided by Chef Anthony, Chef Jacob, and Chef Savio.
The compere Sheila D’Costa boosted the spirits of the revellers throughout the evening. On behalf of the Goan Community, she thanked and acknowledged the hard work and dedication of Fr Lucas Rodrigues, Fr Francis Colaco and Fr Mark Furtado towards the huge Goan Community in Swindon.
In his address, the Goan Chaplain, Fr Lucas Rodrigues said the purpose of the event is to bring families together to share some moments of love, concern and solidarity.
He acknowledged the support of Goans who contribute in many ways to the Swindon Goan Chaplaincy and also thanked all the various chaplaincy teams for working with dedication and commitment.
Goans who attended the event appreciated and praised the event and all those who were involved in the organisation.
“Thanks for such a wonderful evening, we all had fun. All the arrangements and everything were on point and the best we have ever seen,” said Vance Dias, a youngster who was present at the event.
Vance Machado, the Children's Choir Master of Rhythmix Goa, said: “It was such an amazing sight to see a lot of people both young and old coming together as one family to show their love and solidarity in supporting the Goan Chaplaincy Swindon.”
“We even had people of different faiths and walks of life coming to this dance which shows the true meaning of being a Catholic, where we welcome everyone with open arms.”
“Overall, it was a day to remember and people went home with a renewed hope and love in their hearts, knowing that the Chaplaincy is always there to put their arms over our shoulders when we need it the most.”
“Also, people will now want to serve the Chaplaincy even more in any way they can. I for one will definitely strive to work as hard as I can, along with my army of nearly 100 children in my choir for our Chaplaincy. We hope for another fruitful year. I can't wait till our next Easter Dance 2024,” Machado added.
