NATIONAL INTER FAITH WEEK 2014

NATIONAL INTER FAITH WEEK

www.interfaithweek.org

Inter Faith Week      Sunday 17 – Saturday 23 November

National Inter Faith Week begins this Sunday, 17 November in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This is its fifth year. The Week’s aims are:

• Strengthening good inter faith relations at all levels
• Increasing awareness of the different and distinct faith communities in the UK, celebrating and building on the contribution which their members make to their neighbourhoods and to wider society
• Increasing understanding between people of religious and non-religious beliefs

Many different kinds of organisation will be holding events to mark the Week: faith community bodies; inter faith organisations; non-religious belief bodies; schools and Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education (SACREs); universities and colleges; local authorities and Police and Fire and Rescue Services; hospitals; businesses; voluntary organisations; chaplaincies; and others. 

"How people of different faiths and beliefs interact and cooperate is of enormous importance in our society. Inter Faith Week is an opportunity for people to come together for inter faith dialogue, learning and action. It’s a time for extending existing bonds of cooperation and friendship and creating new ones. We hope that this year sees even wider circles of involvement and wish all taking part success in their events and projects."  - The Revd Bob Fyffe and Vivian Wineman, Co-Chairs Inter Faith Network for the UK

A map showing events is at http://www.interfaithweek.org/events/events/main-events-calendar, and new events are being added to this daily.  Just a few examples of local events:

• Kirklees Faiths Forum ‘Focus on Faith’ lecture by Baroness Warsi at the University of Huddersfield, hosted by the Bishop of Pontefract
• Special launch events in Coventry, Preston, Sutton and a number of other cities, towns and boroughs
• Reading Inter Faith Open Day with seven Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh places of worship welcoming in visitors
• An ‘exchanging pulpits’ project in Leicester between Christian and Muslim clergy arranged by Leicester Cathedral, St Philip's Centre, Near Neighbours, and Masjid-Al Husayn
• ‘Voices of Faith: Religion, War and Peace’ -  an evening of inter faith dialogue with Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist speakers at the Multi Faith Chaplaincy of Northumbria University
• Collecting food and packing boxes to support Norwich Food Bank, organised by the Council of Christians and Jews Norfolk branch to mark Mitzvah Day and Inter Faith Week 
• Inter faith discussion and crime prevention presentation in Barking organised by the Safer Transport Team of the Metropolitan Police
• Inter faith embroidery workshop in the London Borough of Brent
• ‘Women and Faith’ organised by Woking People of Faith
• Discussion on the ethics of biotechnologies, organised by Birmingham Council of Faiths, Christians in Science (Birmingham) and University of Birmingham Atheist,  Secular and Humanist Society
• A ‘Meet the Mormons’ open house event in Kidderminster
• Launch of a hospital inter faith network at University Hospital Southampton, with Southampton Council of Faiths
• Inter faith minibus tour of faith venues in Bute Town, Cardiff, visiting eight venues across two days -  South Cardiff Interfaith Association and C3SC
• Cornwall Faith Forum - ‘sharing and shaping inter faith in a rural setting’
• A youth SACRE in Thurrock
• A conference on ‘Forgiveness’,  with contributions from six faiths - Wolverhampton Inter Faith and Regeneration Network
• St Peter’s by the Waterfront, Ipswich, Storytelling around the faiths for primary school children – Suffolk Inter Faith Resource
• A Week long series of talks run by Slough Faiths Partnership on aspects of Fear: Fear of Change;  Fear through Faith; Fear of Secularism, Fear of Extremism;  Fear and Freedom of Speech; and Overcoming Fear.
• An event to celebrate Inter Faith Week and raise awareness of Cheltenham’s different faith communities hosted by Cheltenham Inter Faith, Cheltenham Borough Council and the University of Gloucestershire
• Celebrating Our Diversity in Medway -  Medway Inter Faith Forum
• Bradford Cathedral, with Touchstone, exhibition in a ‘yurt’ of stories of local people sharing why faith matters to them

Other types of events include: film screenings; inter faith cricket; family faith trails; ‘inter faith talent contests’; short, speed-dating style dialogues between people of different faiths and beliefs; multi faith music making and choirs; fairs and cultural events; charity fundraising events; exhibitions; arts and crafts themed events; classroom activities, visits and assemblies; and combined Inter Faith Week/Mitzvah Day events (‘Interfaith Mitzvah Days’). 

The Near Neighbours Programme is involved with multiple events during this year’s Inter Faith Week. http://www.cuf.org.uk/near-neighbours/Inter-Faith-Week-2013 

The Week will also see the launch of ‘Together in Service’, a new grant programme funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government and led by Faith Action highlighting and supporting multi faith social action projects.

Notes to editors:

1.      Enquiries: ifnet@interfaith.org.uk, tel 020 7730 0410

2.      Twitter: www.twitter.com/IFWeek | Facebook: www.facebook.com/IFWeek | Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/IFWeek

3.      The Inter Faith Network for the UK (www.interfaith.org.uk), was founded in 1987. It works to promote good inter faith relations in the UK. It manages the Inter Faith Week website: www.interfaithweek.org   and links the involvement in the Week of the different participating nations. It also leads on the Week in England.  In Wales, the lead is taken by the Inter Faith Council for Wales (www.interfaithwales.org), and in Northern Ireland, the lead is taken by the Northern Ireland Inter-Faith Forum (http://niinterfaithforum.org).

4.      Inter Faith Week was established in England and Wales in 2009. Scottish Interfaith Week has taken place since 2004 and is led by Interfaith Scotland (www.interfaithscotland.org)  This year it begins on Sunday 24 November.

5.      Sunday 17 November, the first day of Inter Faith Week, is also Mitzvah Day (www.mitzvahday.org.uk) - a Jewish-led day of social action involving people of all faiths and none working together in their local communities.  Many events are being jointly held to mark both Inter Faith Week and Mitzvah Day.