Eat your way round India's 29 states at Dorset's first Mela

Dorset Indian Mela will be held in Poole Park on Saturday, August 27 from 10am to 4pm featuring food and drink, handicraft stalls, henna painting, live music, dancing and a bouncy castle.

It aims to allow residents to get a taste of India without having to get on a plane, even offering the chance for people to try on traditional Indian clothing.

Organisers say there are 700 Indian families living in Dorset, and food on offer will cover all of India's 29 states, from Punjabi tandoori specialities to Goan seafood and Keralan stews.

The chosen charity is Forest Holme Hospice, which is based in Seldown Road and offers care and support to people with cancer and other life limiting illnesses.

Bibin Venuanth, event director of the Dorset Indian Mela, said: "We are delighted to be bringing the Indian communities of Dorset together to present Dorset’s first Indian food festival.

"India has many diverse cultures and I would be delighted for local people to join us to taste many of our traditional dishes, music and dance.

"By providing entertainment for all of the family, we hope to generously support the 1,000 patients and families Forest Holme Hospice assists each year."

Becky Chalk, fundraiser for the Forest Holme Hospice Charity, said: “The Dorset Indian Mela will be a great opportunity to try some fabulous food, all while raising money for Forest Holme Hospice.

"We are incredibly grateful to the Dorset Indian Community for their hard work and support to help patients and families living with life-limiting illnesses through the most difficult time of their lives."

Forest Holme Hospice, which is part of Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, is reliant on the support of the community to fund their specialist care for patients from across Poole, Wimborne and Purbeck.

Each year, the charity has to raise around £500,000 of voluntary donations to continue providing palliative and supportive care to patients and their families.