Berkeley : St Joseph Makes a Splash at the 2019 Nowka Bais

Members from the St Joseph team took to the waters of Birmingham's Edgbaston Reservoir in July for the 2019 National Nowka Bais, an annual community festival.

The event honours the style of dragon boat racing seen in the rural villages of Bangladesh after monsoon rains have filled the rivers.

Now in its eleventh year, the Nowka Bais is one of Birmingham's leading cultural events since it was moved to the city in 2015. The dragon boat racing forms part of a wider community festival, featuring street food, arts and crafts stalls, a funfair, as well as live music and dance - with the Canal & River Trust a key event partner.

Comprising employees from across the firm, including Managing Director Ashley Kensington, the St Joseph team participated in the first heat of the day, successfully progressing as far as the quarter final.

This marks St Joseph's first involvement in the community event and race since arriving in central Birmingham in early 2018.

Ashley Kensington, Managing Director at St Joseph, said:

'St Joseph has made a commitment to Birmingham, its communities and people. The National Nowka Bais was a great opportunity to connect with the city - joining the hundreds taking part and crowds watching.

'Showing our support to the Canal & River Trust was also important to us. The organisation is doing brilliant work in the West Midlands and is a key stakeholder on multiple St Joseph developments.'

St Joseph has a close connection with Birmingham's waterways after launching its 406-apartment Snow Hill Wharf scheme which overlooks the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal.

Already, the firm has made a series of improvements to the canal. This includes investing heavily in the towpath on the opposite bank, upgrading the lighting and implementing an ongoing management regime to restore it as a tidy, safe and well-used walking route.