Students at Queen Elizabeth II High School in Peel have been learning about the different cultures on the island by holding a multicultural festival.

The festival consisted of activities based on Manx culture and cultures from further afield.

It featured workshops for the students on Manx music, dancing and drama, African painting, European cuisine, craft-based skits with a theme of medieval battles, performance poetry and Indian fusion dance.

The school has held the multicultural day for its Year 8 students (12 and 13-year-olds) for several years, as part of their School Enrichment Week.

This year the festival was named ’Multicultural Mela’. Mela is the Indian word, from the Hindi language, for festival.

The multicultural festival aims to create an awareness of other cultures and promote the idea of equality and diversity among students, in tune with the changing cultural climate of the Isle of Man.

The events were organised by English teacher and sixth form co-ordinator for English, Usha Kishore, and deputy director for Years 7, 8 and 9 (ages 11 to 14) Jeff McCubbin.