Diwali celebration showing 'community and unity'

Organisers say the live music and street food brings the community together

Thousands of people are attending a town's Diwali celebrations with a finale of fireworks planned.

The organisers of the Middlesbrough event, which features live music and street food, say it brings the community together.

Organiser Kash Patel says the fifth consecutive year of celebrating Diwali is "bigger and better than ever".

He said: "It's a great opportunity to have a fun family day out with a firework finale."

Geeta Sharma, an executive committee member of the Hindu Cultural Society of Cleveland, said it was important to show unity as a community.

She said: "It's a way of us to be able to be proud of the fact that we are here and this is part of our culture.

"We are all one community, we are going through the same things.

"It is a way of getting over the scaremongers who are trying to divide us, when actually there is a lot more in common than there is differences between us all."

Diwali is the biggest festival in the Hindu calendar

Mr Patel said: "The meaning of Diwali is the festival of light, it is the celebration of light over darkness.

"Middlesbrough is built up of communities of all faiths and all religions.

"This is our fifth year and every year is bigger and better."

Geeta Sharma says Diwali is a time for families to come together and celebrate belonging