12/06/2026
Feeling really deflated.
Today, my 13-year-old daughter came home hysterically crying after being racially abused by a 10-year-old child.
This is the third time in as many weeks that racism has touched our family, first from an adult woman, then and elderly women and now from a child.
And honestly, I am gutted.
The Big Marston Festival was created by me because I wanted to do something positive for the village I live in.
I wanted to bring families, children, neighbours and local businesses together. I wanted people to have somewhere to walk to, something to enjoy, and a reason to feel proud of the community we are part of.
So far, I have arranged performances, food, drinks, sweets, children’s entertainment, things for teenagers, a live DJ, games, displays, a dog contest, surprise attendees and local businesses.
I have personally paid close to £1,000 upfront to help make this happen. Some of that I hope to recover through vendor pitch fees and kind donations, but right now I am still out of pocket.
And I was okay with that, because I believed in creating something special for the community.
But today, watching my daughter walk home in tears after being publicly disrespected, degraded and racially abused has made me question everything.
Because how do you pour your heart, time, money and energy into celebrating a community when your own child is being made to feel like she does not belong in it?
I am not posting this for sympathy.
I am posting it because racism is not just something that happens “somewhere else.” It is here. It is in our schools, our buses, our streets, our conversations, and clearly, it is being learned young.
And if we want a better community, then we cannot just turn up for the fun days, the food stalls and the music.
We also have to turn up for the uncomfortable conversations.
We have to teach our children better.
We have to challenge racism when we hear it.
We have to protect the children being harmed by it.
And we have to stop pretending that silence is neutral.
Tonight, I feel her pain and honestly unsure whether I am the right person to keep standing at the front of something that is meant to celebrate how wonderful this village can be.
I still believe Marston has good people in it.
But good people cannot stay quiet and expect things to change.
So if this festival is going to mean anything, I hope it becomes more than just a fun day.
I hope it becomes a reminder that community is not just about living near each other.
It is about how we treat each other.
Marston Events
