Ms JODIE HARRISON (Charlestown)— The Centre for Hope, based at Windale, is an incredible organisation which does so much for the Charlestown community and the whole Newcastle-Lake Macquarie area.

Centre for Hope has recently launched a new program to encourage the Hunter community to celebrate the diversity of the region by hosting "Flavoursome Friday" events. These are planned to be banquets of delicious cultural dishes, designed to bring the community together around something we all share: the love of a good meal.

Fletcher Community Centre was chosen as the venue for the inaugural banquet, and the event was made possible by a collaboration between Centre for Hope and The Canopy, City of Newcastle, and the Iranian Community of Newcastle.

Flavoursome Fridays will be staged once a month on a Friday, and the Centre for Hope is welcoming anyone from the wider Hunter community to attend or volunteer a hand.

I would like to acknowledge Centre for Hope's manager Shari Bonnette, her team, and the team from The Canopy for their working putting this together, as well as the wonderful Iranian Community of Newcastle. Congratulations on the successful first event, and here's to many more in the future.

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