Bolton celebrated Black History Month with a day of music, traditional food and an inspiring talk from Olympic boxer Cindy Ngamba.

Bolton Black History Group hosted an afternoon of African and Afro-Caribbean music, djembe drumming, hair braiding and face painting at Bolton Socialist Club as part of the month long celebrations.

The group formed in 2021, with the catalyst being the killing of George Floyd. The group aims to highlight the achievements of black people throughout history and in the Bolton community.

This weekend's event featured djembe drumming from the African Community Association Bolton, a Bob Marley tribute act by Bolton’s very own Marlon and a talk by Olympian Cindy Ngamba.

Read more: Bolton Olympian Cindy Ngamba speaks to children at primary school

Traditional food was also on offer including jollof rice, jerk chicken, plantain and yam.

Chairwoman of the group, Marlene Stringfellow said: “This group has been together since 2021. Five of us met outside Bolton town hall, and now we now have over 150 members.

“The main ethos is for people to know their own history and to share that with the wider community. Black History Month isn’t just the month, we keep it going throughout the year.

“Community is what we need, we all work together, and we gain more by it.

“What I’ve noticed with the youngsters is they’re not judgemental unlike when I was at school if you were gay, disabled or a different colour, it was an issue whereas with young people now, it’s not.

“We need to learn from them and try and encourage that throughout.

“We are more alike than we are different, and we need to remember that.”

Read more: Cindy Ngamba ‘part of Bolton’ and ‘one of our own’

Olympic boxer Cindy gave a speech about the challenges she has faced being a refugee after coming to Bolton aged 11 from Cameroon.

The 25-year-old claimed bronze in the women’s 75kg boxing semi-final at the Paris Games for the Refugee Olympic Team.

She said: “Bolton has been a town that has welcomed me, and I never want to leave. After going to the Olympics and winning a medal, I’ve put Bolton on the map.

“I’m a refugee and I want to show that world that refugees aren’t just given things, we work hard and are just like any other human around the world.

“We want to work hard; we have goals and things we want to achieve.

“There’s nothing wrong with people coming over to want a better life and better future. People want to create something for themselves and create something for the country.

“As a whole community, no matter your ethnicity or diversity, that’s what makes each town and country great as we all have different backgrounds.

“It’s what makes it special.”

Read more: Bolton NHS Foundation Trust's commitment during Black History Month

Also present at the event was Labour councillor for Halliwell, Cllr Rabiya Jiva.

She announced that next year, the council have committed to holding Black History Month celebrations in the town hall, where all communities can come together and feel empowered.

She said: “For me as a councillor, this is what I want to see on a regular basis.

“My ethos is that we’re better together and all I want is all communities to feel empowered and safe.

“We will, as Bolton Council, commit to holding Black History Month in the town hall next year.

“I want to open the doors to the community. People need to come in to see where decisions are made to serve our communities and the building isn’t just for certain classes, it’s for everyone.

“History has to be remembered and embraced and we have to grow by learning from different cultures.”