The Telugu community in Redbridge celebrated Ugadi, a south Indian festival on Saturday marking the New Year.

The festival is widely observed in the Andhra Pradesh state in India and music and dance marked the ceremony in Redbridge Town Hall, High Road, Ilford.

The organisers, the Telugu Association of London, were happy to welcome Ilford South MP Mike Gapes as a guest.

The group seeks to promote the cultural heritage of the Telugu community, who speak the second most common language in India, in the UK.

Cultural secretary Rajireddy Myakala, 44, said: “It went very well. The name of the year is Vijaya, which means victory and it only happens once in 60 years.

“That’s the importance of the celebrations.”

Performers at the event included south Indian composer R.P. Patnaik and singer Geeta Madhuri.

Visit www.taluk.org for information or call Arpitha Raj Reddy on 07894 074 979 for more information about the group, which holds cultural lessons at the Cardinal Heenan Centre in High Road, Ilford.