Crawley Portguese group puts Latino twist on Women's Day

A group dedicated to celebrating and sharing the culture of Portugal will hold an event next week to mark International Women's Day.
By The Newsroom
Published 6th Mar 2016, 12:00 BST
Members of the Black Tie Affair Crawley, a community group set up by Carlos Castro to celebrate and share the culture, cuisine and music of Portugal - picture submittedMembers of the Black Tie Affair Crawley, a community group set up by Carlos Castro to celebrate and share the culture, cuisine and music of Portugal - picture submitted
Members of the Black Tie Affair Crawley, a community group set up by Carlos Castro to celebrate and share the culture, cuisine and music of Portugal - picture submitted

Tilgate resident Carlos Castro, set up The Black Tie Portuguese Affair Crawley last year bring together residents from the town’s Portuguese community.

Going from strength to strength, the group now hopes to share their passion with other cultural communities and will be hosting a meal next Saturday March 12 celebrating the role of women in society.

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Carlos explained the idea behind the group. He said: “I moved from Cardiff three years ago and having been part of bigger and ambitious Portuguese communities, I felt a lack of cultural unity as well as being supportive to the community I now live in.

“As Portuguese, we have so much to offer and Crawley is lacking this opportunity.

“Our culture is so rich and can and should be shared with and enjoyed by everyone.

“I founded this group aiming to promote mutual enrichment and advancement of community cohesion. We aim to do this by building links between families, friends, our neighbours and everyone else we see every day.”

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The group welcomes everyone to enjoy the Portuguese heritage, share their food, music and history through events. They also work to bring awareness and financial support to Crawley charities.

In December the group raised funds for the British Heart Foundation and the meal next Saturday will raise money for the Crawley charity Rivers Resource SPACE for Women.

Carlos said: “They help women realise their dreams and their potential and offer all sorts of training and help them turn their hand to anything. I came across it and spoke to one of the volunteers.

“It became obvious they were the right people to partner with for this event. It will be to remember women’s struggles and their fight for equality, but more so to celebrate their achievements.”

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Anyone can join take part by calling the Sultan restaurant on 01293 521521, giving their name and referencing the Black Tie Affair. They expect it to cost £15 per head.

For information about Rivers call 07539 995328 or go to www.rivers-space.org.uk

Email Carlos on [email protected] for details of the event.

Related topics:PortuguesePortugal