Celebrating Our 10th Anniversary

Ten years ago, who would have thought that a small charity in Sittingbourne called Diversity House, founded by a dynamic and passionate lady, Mrs Christine Locke would be celebrating its anniversary today. The ‘Diversity House’ story is a testament to the sheer will and hard work of its founder and leader and all the staff and volunteers who have contributed to its achievements and successes throughout the years.

At the thanksgiving service on Friday 11th August at the Baptist Church in Sittingbourne, Mrs Christine Locke recalled how an encounter with a stranger gave her the vision to start the charity that would have at its heart the mission to bring together the diverse communities of Swale under the banner ‘integration, inclusion and cohesion’.

“My first commission by Swale Borough was to research the needs of ethnic minority communities in the region but I soon realised that in order for progress we needed to engage with mainstream communities and proactively build bridges. With the first payment I started Diversity House.”

As the story unfolded, Diversity House initiated countless projects with the aim of changing the lives of those who benefitted from their far-reaching activities. From the Celebration of Cultures project in 2007 which brightened the streets of Sittingbourne with its colourful showcase of dance, music and pageantry from the many cultures residing in Swale, to the Learning Alliance on Palliative Care and End of Life project – A study of health needs of the Black and Minority Ethnic Groups particularly regarding palliative care and end of life needs; the Benin British Heritage Project – A learning and engagement project for schools celebrating the cultural heritage of Benin and Britain to the Swale Women Empowering Women (SWEW) now known as the ‘Supporting Women and Girls (SWAG) project – an empowerment project transforming the lives of women and girls and the current ‘Breaking the Myths: WW1 and Africa project rewriting the history of WW1 to include the African contribution, Diversity House has touched the lives of over 43, 000 people in its ten year history.

It’s not surprising that Diversity House has won several awards for Excellence in Community Engagement and is a signed-up member of the UN Global Compact but it’s not the accolades that the Diversity House team pursue as Christine Locke, the CEO and founder explains.

“The biggest reward of undertaking this mission is seeing the lives of so many people being transformed after engaging with us’ says Mrs Christine Locke at the evening reception later that day at Phoenix House. “Like the story of a young apprentice who came into the charity with no goals or direction and from a family background of low achievement and expectation broke the cycle of poverty by being the first in her family to graduate from university this year after working at Diversity House. “
The story of the apprentice is repeated thousands of times by the many beneficiaries of Diversity House and Mrs Rosemary Dymond, Deputy Lord Lieutenant and Patron of Diversity House and said in her speech at the anniversary celebrations “Diversity House has opened my eyes and mind to so much. I continue to learn and grow from my involvement. I don’t know how they do it but the reach of the small charity is far bigger than the small resources they have to drive it.”

As the reception came to a close the many guests and supporters who attended including the Leader of Swale Council, Cllr Andrew Bowels, the Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayoress of Sittingbourne Cllr Samuel Koffie-Williams and Mayoress, Mrs Doreen Koffie-Williams, Mrs Rosemary Dymond, Deputy Lord Lieutenant and Patron of Diversity House , Martin Goodhew from Swale Borough Council and Mrs Shiel Campbell Dr  Carlos Moreno-Leguizamon and Professor Clarins Spigner enjoyed the festivities while others danced the night away to the sweet tunes of the gospel band finally toasting to the next ten years of service in next chapter of the Diversity House story.