On this day 30 years ago, a group of 12 sambistas met in a house in Finsbury Park, North London. They were:

João Bosco de Oliveira, Alan Hayman, Pato Fuentes, Carlos Fuentes, German Santana, David Pattman, Dawson Miller, Liliana Chachian, Dave Bitelli, Hilton Leite, Gerry Hunt and Neville Murray.

From them the UK’s first samba school was born, the London School of Samba.

Since then there have been many achievements, including:

  • 28 Notting Hill Carnival Parades
  • 13 Performances at the International Samba Festival in Coburg, Germany
  • More than 1200 performances
  • Performances all over England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands
  • Performances in 7 countries across Europe
  • Performances as far afield as North Africa and China
  • Numerous appearances on TV including the BBC (12 times), ITV, Channel 4, CNN, British Satellite News, and 5 appearances on Brazil’s Globo TV
  • More than 2000 drumming & dance workshops
  • More than 500 outreach workshops in schools, colleges and universities
  • Performances in many prestigious venues including: London 2012 Olympic Stadium, Wembley Stadium, Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Millennium Dome, London Palladium, WOMAD, Glastonbury Festival and the Edinburgh Festival
  • At least 50 samba groups have been formed in the UK by current or former LSS members, including: Brighton School of Samba, Bristol School of Samba, Boudica School of Samba, Edinburgh School of Samba, Manchester School of Samba, Nottingham School of Samba and Paraiso School of Samba
  • A lifetime achievement award at the Latin UK Awards (LUKAS) 2013

Look out for various celebrations and no doubt more achievements in 2014!