Flag of Mauritius to fly at Big Cheese parade in Caerphilly (From Campaign Series)
Get involved: send your pictures, video, news and views by texting CAM to 80360, or email
us
Flag of Mauritius to fly at Big Cheese parade in Caerphilly
8:50am Thursday 12th July 2012 in News
A FAMILY from Caerphilly will be joining the Parade of Nations waving their flag of Mauritius at the Big Cheese.
Ruth Chukoury and her family, from Caerphilly, plan to bring a little piece of paradise to this year's festival, as they proudly wave the flag for the small island of Mauritius during the festival's opening event, the Parade of Nations, on Friday July 27.
Ruth met her husband Reshad, in Cheltenham before he followed her home to Wales where they married and settled with their two children. Reshad proposed to Ruth during a visit to the African island of Mauritius, where many of his family still reside.
Each year, during the Big Cheese weekend, Reshad's mother, father and sister join his family in Wales and this year they will all be taking part in the parade.
Ruth said: "I believe it is important to celebrate all aspects of my children's heritage and by joining the parade it will combine the Welsh and Mauritian cultures in an evening of celebration. We are really looking forward to the event and to meeting people of all different nationalities.
"We will be wearing our national costume and flying the flag of Mauritius during the parade, whose colours are red, blue, yellow and green. The country adopted the flag upon its independence on the March 12, 1968 and each colour of the flag has a special meaning. Red represents freedom, blue the colour of the Indian Ocean, yellow the sunshine and green represents the agriculture of Mauritius."
Reshad's parents met in England during the 1970's, when the British government were recruiting for nurses from overseas.
The parade will begin at Twyn Community Centre at 6:30pm, then make its way to the Big Cheese site where the Olympic opening ceremony will be bradcast. The evening will end with a firework display at 10.15pm.
If you want to take part in the Parade of Nations call 01443 864265 or email communicationsunit@caerphilly.gov.uk for more details or email the Campaign Series at charles.booth@gwent-wales.co.uk or phone 01633 777156.
