Reporting from Mapperley. Here's this week's news story. A light hearted story that I stumbled upon, perhaps by the good fortunes of the Dancing Lion: A KIND-HEARTED Asian grocer is raising funds for a community learning centre in Nottingham. A large crowd gathered to watch a traditional Chinese Lion Dance on the fourth anniversary of the Asiana Hypermarket, which is continuing the celebration by giving back to the Asian community.
Proceeds from a raffle supported by several suppliers of the grocery store will be donated to the East England Chinese Association School in Mapperley Park.
Sandy Lathia, 25, is the local buyer for the family run business. She said: “We didn’t just want to celebrate our birthday by bringing people in. Without our customers we wouldn’t be here and we wanted to give back to the Asian community.”
The Mapperley Park school relies heavily on private donations for funding and welcomes the donation. Its coordinator Donna Mostyn heads 16 volunteer teachers and more than 180 students, many of whom joined the anniversary celebration with Chinese poetry, traditional song, and a demonstration of Tai Chi. Mrs Mostyn said, “Our aim is to keep the Chinese community together. We want our next generation, wherever in the world they may be, to have learned their roots.”
The school offers weekly classes in Chinese and Mandarin along with GSCE preparation courses. It welcomes students from any ethnic background.
VT, 11, was born in the UK. Her father, who is German, and her mother, from Vietnam, wanted her to learn Chinese. “I like going because my friends are there,” she said. “And now I know how to write Chinese.”
Raffle tickets will be sold at the Asiana Hypermarket on Woodborough Road until November 4. The money raised will be used to purchase a tennis table for the school which hopes to send a group of students to the Chinese Association National Sport Day next spring.
