The Ukrainian Centre in Rochdale hosted the third annual Dumpling Day event, organised to coincide with Refugee Week, paying homage to the historical Lancashire mill town tradition of Wakes Day by bringing together people of all ages to enjoy a day of food, music, and creativity.
Organised by Touchstones, part of Rochdale charity Your Trust, the free event attracted hundreds of people from across the borough’s many different communities to share in different traditions and cultural experiences.
The day featured dumpling tastings from across Rochdale’s diverse community, highlighting how the simple dough-filled pocket – from traditional Ukrainian varenyky to other global varieties – can unite cultures.
Alongside the food, there was live Ukrainian music and visitors got involved in a range of hands-on activities, including crafting sunflower seed paper dumplings, designing botanical cyanotype coasters, planting seeds, and getting creative with knitting and crochet.
Attendees also had the opportunity to explore fascinating archives from the Touchstones ‘Collections on Tour’ and hear from the museum team about the upcoming Dining Room space, which will provide a space for museum collections, three brand new artist commissions, and most importantly a space to meet, eat, socialise and discover when Touchstones re-opens next year. The Dining Room is being co-created with the Community Curators, who are local people from Rochdale and have contributed their own passions about food, history and heritage.
Rachael Burns, Creative Engagement Coordinator at Touchstones said: “It was brilliant to see so many people coming together again this year, sharing different food and stories from their own cultures.
“The atmosphere was incredible – from the live music to the amazing food. It’s a wonderful way for people to learn about different cultures while having a great time with friends and family and the whole event was a huge success.
“Dumpling Day is all about connecting our communities, and seeing people of all backgrounds getting creative and celebrating our shared heritage ahead of Refugee Week was fantastic.”
