My name is Gavin Rodgers, and I am one of the university's Faith Advisors. I’m also leading the Student Team for Festival Teesside, a huge event hosted by various churches in Teesside this June. The festival will take place in Stewarts Park and feature live music, performances, and fun for the whole family. 

As a Student Team, we are in the process of planning a free event for university students as part of the Festival Teesside period. The event will celebrate cultural diversity and offer people a chance to explore faith in the Christian message of hope. We have been in frequent contact with the University about the event and are continuing to explore ways to partner.

A big part of our event involves celebrating international culture through on-stage performances. The performances booked so far include a local DJ, an international gospel choir, and people from around the world sharing stories of their lives and their faith.

As part of those on-stage performances, we’d love to invite some of the cultural student societies within Teesside SU to contribute. The contribution can be anything artistic: a dance, a piece of music, a poem, spoken word or story– just something to help others appreciate their culture and heritage. There is absolutely no requirement at all for the contributions to be anything related to faith. Through these performances we simply want to enjoy and celebrate the cultural diversity of students at the University.

The event will run on Wednesday 5th June, from 5-8pm at the Salvation Army building (Middlesbrough Citadel) just off campus on Southfield Road. The event is totally free and food from different cultures is included.

If any societies or student might be interested in performing at the event, please get in touch with me at: gavin.rodgers@jubileechurchteesside.com

Many thanks,

Gavin Rodger