PEOPLE from all over Ipswich turned out to help celebrate the annual Bangladeshi Community Day.The celebrations took place at Suffolk College on Sunday and it was a chance for people from all walks of life to find out more about the customs and culture of the Bangladeshi community.

PEOPLE from all over Ipswich turned out to help celebrate the annual Bangladeshi Community Day.

The celebrations took place at Suffolk College on Sunday and it was a chance for people from all walks of life to find out more about the customs and culture of the Bangladeshi community.

Singers, actors and dancers were there from Bangla Television to entertain the crowd and Bengali songs were sung.

Rajon and Kafayet Khan performed traditional songs on the keyboards and Rajon also danced for the audience.

Both said they thought the day was very important for expressing their culture and also celebrating the achievements of their community.

Chairman of the Bangladeshi Support Centre, Mahbubul Alam, said the day was important because it brought people together and raised awareness about the work that the centre does.

"The reason we do this every year is to support the centre. It also celebrates our culture and our achievements in the community and informs people about the activities we do.

"We are trying to integrate with people from many other parts of society and by inviting them here today we hope to bring people together.

"The support we offer to the Bangladeshi community through the centre is very important and helps people to deal with often culturally sensitive issues."

Chief Constable Paul Scott-Lee was also at the college to show his support along with Ipswich Mayor Maureen Carrington-Brown.

"It is really nice to see communities coming together for a celebration. It is a superb achievement to get this together and the organisers should be very proud of themselves.

"It is important that everybody makes an effort to be here today and I do not think we celebrate enough community groups from all areas," he said.

There was also traditional Bengali food for guests to enjoy while they were watching the entertainment.

The Bangladeshi support centre is based in the Citizens Advice Bureau in Tower Street.

It offers help to disadvantaged Bangladeshi people who may suffer because of a language barrier. Filling in forms and dealing with the legal system in this country can often leave people feeling isolated. The group helps to arm people with information so that they can play an active role in society.