A COLOURFUL parade of costumes from around the world will be at the centre of a whirlwind of fashion at an upcoming show.

The community has worked together to organise the Building Bridges event, taking place at Darlington’s Majestic Theatre next month.

Students from Darlington College and Corporation Road Primary School, along with representatives from the emergency services, will be taking to the catwalk in an explosion of colour on Wednesday, October 11.

The show – which also features performances from local dance schools – represents an attempt to bring communities together and “build bridges with style”.

Organisers Sajna Miah and Rawda Rashed hope it will be a celebration of cultures and fashions from across the world.

The fashion show is the latest event to be staged by Darlington’s Celebrating Communities initiative, which promotes “peace, unity and diversity” and aims to forge bonds between people of all backgrounds.

Ms Miah, from Darlington, said: “The show is about people coming together and the community has really pulled together to make this happen.

“The students have been brilliant and we’ve had so much support from businesses, from MAC giving us make-overs to the Majestic letting us have it there and Peacocks, DC Couture and Snob Clothing helping out with costumes.

“We really needed something going on in Darlington that reached out to all of its diverse groups and was inclusive.

“I’m hoping the event will achieve social cohesion with like-minded people that are coming together for the greater good.

“There’s so much hatred out there and this is all about getting Darlington residents from all backgrounds together to show what community spirit can do.

“Events like this give a positive and moral boost to mental health and physical wellbeing.”

Cllr Gerald Lee, co-founder of Celebrating Communities, said: “Suffice to say Celebrating Communities is about bringing people together as we believe this is the first and most important step to enable people from different countries to feel comfortable with one another and this is vital to create greater understanding, appreciation and respect for one another which will in time reduce hate crime in our towns and cities.

“'Building Bridges with Style' is an one such opportunity for people from our minority groups and local Darlington people to meet each over so they can spend time in each other's company and realise that those people that can be seen to be different are in fact no different when it comes down to what is important.”