FOR the first time, North Cray Community Centre has played host to a Hindu festival of worship, dance and music.

When arrangements for this year's festival of Navrati Garba fell through, organiser Bexley Gujarati Samaj was forced to start looking for a new venue.

North Cray Community Centre, Bedens Road, was able to offer the nine evenings it needed.

The festival is dedicated to the Hindu mother goddess Durga and this year a group of musicians travelled from India to perform at the Bexley festivities.

The group now hopes to return to North Cray next year to celebrate Navatri Garba in a new neighbourhood centre which is being built.