Fly With Me

Carmel Smickersgill, Tours & Activities Editor

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Fly With Me

20 August 2022

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This August, MIF are teaming up with HOME, Community Arts North West and Good Chance Theatre to take part in an international day of kite flying. Fly With Me is taking part in different cities across the UK and Europe. Bringing people together in a large-scale act of solidarity with the people of Afghanistan that marks one year since the fall of their country to the Taliban.

Kite Flying is a simple and joyous act, but don’t worry if you are currently kite-less, master Afghan kite maker Sanjar Qiam has put an instruction pack together for you to make your own traditional Afghan kites at home. You can download the free instructions kit and watch the kite making tutorial on the Good Chance website. You’ll then have a kite to enjoy for the whole summer.

It asks for a more compassionate approach towards people who’ve had to flee their homes.

At the Manchester event you will be able to hear storytelling, music, poetry and dance alongside the kite-flying. Details of where and when the event will take place are still to be confirmed so keep an eye on the MIF website for when they’re announced.

Other events will be simultaneously taking place in Copenhagen, London, Bradford, Berlin and Pas-De-Calais to name just a handful of locations. They are a peaceful request for better treatment of those seeking asylum, regardless of where they’re from. It asks for a more compassionate approach towards people who’ve had to flee their homes from the states they want to resettle in.

Although there is a serious message behind the events, Fly With Me is a fun day for lots of communities to come together and enjoy the freedom of flying kites with families and friends.

Where to go near Fly With Me

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Tucked away above the bustle of Merrion Street, The Attic is one of Leeds’ most distinctive small venues – intimate, unpretentious, and steeped in DIY spirit.

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For many years, Oporto has been a beacon of alternative energy on Leeds’ Call Lane – serving up great food and drink alongside resident DJs and live music.

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Black Redstart Gallery is located in the Northern Quarter and runs a busy programme of exhibitions from emerging and established artists.

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Possibly one of the city’s most mysterious art galleries, texture is a small and perfectly-formed independent space in Ardwick.

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