Osborne Clarke hosted Bristol Reggae Orchestra in its Bristol office atrium on 26 October 2022. Colleagues and their families were invited to celebrate Afro-Caribbean culture, food and music as part of a series of Black History Month events and activities.

The evening opened with speeches from Associate Director and OC REACH Co-Chair Amy Dimond and Partner Leona Briggs, who briefly reflected on the progress the firm has made towards greater racial understanding and equality. She outlined the firm's reverse mentoring pilot programme, its commitment to the #10,000 Black Interns work experience programme and its launch of an Inclusion Allies programme as part of its commitment to Business in the Community's Race at Work Charter. 

Executive Director at St. Paul's Carnival LaToyah McAllister-Jones then gave an insightful talk on the future plans of the St. Paul's Carnival team, the organisation's importance within the local community and how Osborne Clarke colleagues can support its community projects. 

Established in 2010 and born out of the heart of musical hub, St. Pauls in Bristol, the Bristol Reggae Orchestra are a collective of local musicians with various musical backgrounds and experiences that draw their influence from reggae, ska, jazz and classical music. The 25-piece ensemble played a mixture of original tunes and arrangements of well-known classics, from Bob Marley to Lord Tanamo, transforming the atrium into a music venue.

The event came to fruition thanks to the firm's race and ethnicity employee network, OC REACH (Race, Ethnicity and Cultural Heritage), the Diversity & Inclusion team and St. Paul's Carnival. 

Check out the video below for a flavour of the magical evening! 

Bristol Reggae Orchestra Event Video - YouTube