The community of Silvertown, Athlone, will be selling their goods at the Nantes Market on Saturday 26 November in Nantes Park.
“The NPO, Proudly Silvertown, was established out of a need to assist our community with feeding schemes and social and economic upliftment. The NPO was established in 2019 by me while I was the secretary and patroller of the Silvertown Neighbourhood Watch,” says Nasira Clarke, organiser of the upcoming event.
“The markets were used as an opportunity to create a platform for locals to sell their goods and earn an income. When we were hit with the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, we cancelled the event until (some of) the restrictions were lifted. Restrictions were lifted and we could trade again with strict Covid-19 protocols followed.
“During the Covid-19 restrictions, many lost their jobs, unemployment escalated and people were struggling to put food on the table. Soup kitchens by residents in different areas started community soup kitchens to feed the people by donating food items to at least provide a cooked meal,” Clarke says.
The need for assistance increased during Covid-19 and requests were sent out for donations of non-perishable products to make food parcels to distribute in the community of Silvertown.
“The food parcels and meals which were prepared we treated our elderly and the youth with. Unfortunately I fell ill and we canned the market for a few months. We are trying to bring the market back to our community, starting with the one on Saturday.
“We have a great venue in Nantes Park and the upcoming market is an opportunity to utilise this park and realise its potential. We plan a lot of fun activities for young and old and in the past the jumping castle was a great hit among the youngsters. We will be treating the kids with luxuries and gifts and will have kiddies games and competitions, as well as pony rides,” she says.
A DJ will provide the music for the duration of the market. A karaoke and other activities will also be part of the festivities of the day.
“On Saturday Jay Jay, our vocalist from Silvertown, will be entertaining the crowd, as well as Arthur known for playing his career. We are looking forward to welcome any TikTok influencer to come and show us the ropes. We are always in need of artists and dancers to come and perform for our community. We are hoping to have the Temple Boys with our next market in December. On Boxing Day we intend to treat the homeless and distribute party packets to our children in Silvertown,” Clarke says.
- For more information contact Nasira Clarke on 082 317 7517 (WhatsApp) or 074 631 8890.
