A Preston event will see Indian women coming together from across the north west to celebrate the saree.

The Saree Speak event is part of a worldwide movement started by Indian woman Vini Tondon to encourage women to wear the traditional dress. The global Saree Speak Facebook group has over 110,000 members.

The Preston event is being organised by a group including organiser Barkha Rani. Women from northern towns including Blackburn, Burnley and St Helens will be attending, in what Barkha believes is the first event of its kind outside London.

Barkha said: “Indian women who are not living in India don’t get chance to wear the saree on a daily basis; for us it’s very occasional.

“The Saree Speak group has inspired women all over the world to wear sarees, the traditional dress in India, Bangadesh, Pakistan Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.

“There are more than 100 types of sarees in India, and at the event we will see women wearing all types of silk and looms.”

The event will include a display about the history of the saree and the different types that are worn. There will also be regional dancing and a fashion show.

Barkha said: “Every region in India has its own saree and dance. The women who are attending will showcase their region.

“We’ll also have a fashion show where attendees will be encouraged to get involved. There will be some dancing to Bollywood songs and singing too.”

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An important part of the event will be to demonstrate how practical a saree can be.

Barkha said: “Some people don’t like to wear sarees as they say they’re not practical. To show you can do different things while wearing a saree we’ll have a weightlifting station and a skipping rope for people to try out.”

Saree Speak will take place at Xaverian Mission Spirituality Centre in Fulwood at 7pm on Friday 14 June.

Tickets are £25 for adults and £12 for under 16s. To book, email barkhar@gmail.com.

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Will you be going to the event? Let us know in the comments below.