MOTHER tongues from across the globe will be celebrated in Cowley Marsh this weekend as locals raise cash for a language school.

Oxford Bangla School launched six months ago at the Regal Community Centre to teach youngsters the Bengali language and culture.

But it needs to raise at least £1,000 to continue teaching more than 30 children and teenagers who visit the school each Sunday.

The school is calling on the community to join its fundraiser this Sunday, when it will also celebrate International Mother Language Day.

Mohammed Mannan, trustee and treasurer of the Oxfordshire Bangladeshi Association, which is supporting the event, said: “The school is very important for this area. Parents have a strong feeling that their children should learn their language.”

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has marked International Mother Language Day since February 2000, to promote diversity and multilingualism.

Cultural and religious groups from across the city will come together at the community centre in Ridgefield Road for the free event between 2pm and 5.30pm.

Dancers from Revive Youth Project will entertain guests with their performance celebrating the African and Caribbean communities, alongside poem readings, a raffle, and talks on the history of different languages.

The Lord Mayor of Oxford Rae Humberstone and the High Sheriff of Oxford Tom Birch Reynardson will also join the festivities, along with city councillors for Cowley Marsh Mohammed Abbasi and Saj Mailk.

Driving instructor Mr Mannan said it was important to raise funds for the school, which is run by four teachers, as well as learn about his neighbours and their backgrounds.

The 55-year-old, of Ridgefield Road, added: “This event creates a platform where everyone can celebrate their mother tongue. I’m sure by working together we can make Oxford a better place to live together peacefully.”

Father-of-three Ms Mannan said the day would be “extra special” for the Bangladeshi community, who will also commemorate their “language martyrs” on Sunday.

Language Martyr Day, which marks Bangla as a national language, has been celebrated across Bangladesh since the Bengali Language Movement in 1952.

The national day commemorates the sacrifices made after the partition of India in 1947, when there was uproar against the Pakistani government declaring Urdu as the national language.

Mr Mannan, who came from Bangladesh in 1978, said: “We pay respect to the Language Martyrs who devoted their lives for the Bangla language. No other nation has had to sacrifice their lives to speak their own language. This day is a milestone in recognition of the right to speak, promote and preserve all mother languages across the world.”