Interfaith Week 15^th – 21^st November

A warm welcome to these events: please get in touch with the named contact for further details, or contact Sumayya: skovariwala1@uclan.ac.uk

Note that there are many events happening across the county. Follow the Lancashire Forum of Faiths FB and twitter feeds (https://www.facebook.com/LancsFaiths) See these links for events in East Lancs at:

Building Bridges (Burnley) http://bbburnley.co.uk/;

Burnley and Pendle faith centre https://twitter.com/bpfaithcentre

Preston Faith Forums 2nd Visit to Calais, France

“We need food, water and clothing but we don’t want it. What we want is to be recognised as Humans and treated as such” – Refugee in Calais

We are pleased to inform you that from Friday 6th November to Sunday 8th, representatives from the Preston Faith Forum, and supported by the Light Foundation propose to return to the “Jungle”, otherwise known as the Refugee Camp in Calais, France with a renewed spirit and strategy, in an attempt to respond to the ongoing Humanitarian crisis currently unfolding before our very own eyes.

Hearts across Europe were suddenly opened since Aylan the Syrian Kurdish boy on the shores of Kos on the morning of Wedesday 2nd of September 2015. Responses have been generous but the need is overwhelming and continues. We still need to help those suffering unimaginable poverty, and daily trauma, living in destitution in the open with winter approaching.

We learned a tremendous amount from our first trip, and propose to emulate the most successful examples that we saw working as effectively and safely as possible.

We also seek support from those who have no religion or no faith. For this project we each express our spirituality with open hearts and practical action.

*** Drop off Points throughout Preston ***

Below are Items of what is needed and locations of drop off points

1) Revelations Islamic book Shop
226 Newhall Lane, PR1 4ST
Monday-Saturday: 10am to 6pm

2) Iqra Islamic Education Centre
33-39 Garstang Road, PR1 1LA
Monday-Friday: 4pm to 7pm

3) Aqsa Mosque
101 Fishwick Parade, PR1 4XR
Monday-Friday: 4pm to 7pm

4) Sikh Gurdwara
2-10 Tunbridge Street, PR1 3YN
Monday-Friday: 4pm to 7pm

5) Heritage Church
Lancaster Road, PR1 2SQ
Saturday: 10.30am-1pm. Sunday: 9am-1pm
Wednesday: 10am-1pm and 6.15pm-7.45pm
Thursday: 10am-1pm.

6) Central Methodist Church
Lune Street, PR2 1NL

*** ITEMS NEEDED & CASH DONATIONS ***

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

1. We need your help to raise cash donations and the following items which are needed the most.

(Please note we will not be collecting anything else):

Tents
Ground sheets,
Tarpaulins for overhead shelter
Seasoned firewood and kindling
Bottled water
Energy drinks
Men’s cotton underpants (NEW ONLY)
Socks
Roll on underarm deodorants
Hand sanitiser
Sleeping bags
Fleece blankets
Men’s outdoor shoes
Food in tins or packages
Cooking pots and utensils
Brand-new cardboard boxes
Gas stoves
Butane gas cylinders

2. Donate money so we can purchase and distribute the most needed aid effectively on the ground.

You can send your donations to Preston Faith Forum, a registered UK charity (No: 10481345)

Royal Bank of Scotland
Name: Preston Faith Forum
Account number: 16403931
Sort code: 83-04-25

Please contact the following for further information:

Arfan Iqbal: 07930 557828
Nadeem Ashfaq: 07794 949217
Jeremy Dable: 07973 310450

Thank you

Refugee crisis September 2015

An open letter to Prime Minister David Cameron

Dear  David  Cameron,

The  humanitarian  crisis  unfolding  across  Europe  is  on  a  scale  not  seen  since  the  Second  World  War.   Daily,  we  see  news  reports  of  hundreds of  thousands  of  refugees  fleeing  from  a  new  form  of   totalitarianism  and  barbarism.    Many  will  have  seen  the  heart  breaking  pictures  of children  and   families  on  TV.   Pressure  is  mounting  to  help  these  refugees.  Germany  is  accepting  many  thousands,  up  to  800,000   already.

Every  other  country  in  Europe  seems  to  be  doing  this  except  the  UK.   Our  government  talks  about  the  solution  to  the  crisis  being  the  ending of  the  wars  in  the  Middle   East  and  there  can  be  no  argument  about  that,  although  our  leaders  in  Europe  and  elsewhere   appear  to  need more  encouragement    to  bring  those  conflicts  to  an  end.   However  the  immediate  issue  is  the  plight  of  refugees.    This  country  has  to  play  its part  in  taking  in   many  more  refugees,  just  as  it  did  in  the  past:  the  Jews  in  the  1930’s;  the  Ugandan  Asians,  and   many  more  down  the years,  all  who  have  brought  prosperity  and  great  cultural  diversity  and   strength  to  this  country.   As  community  leaders  we  would  say  to government  that  Preston  is  a  generous  city  and,    for  the   sake  of  a  common  humanity,  would  want  to  take  a  share  of    these  desperate  people fleeing  war   and  persecution.   We  are  confident  that  our  city’s  people  would  give  a  generous  welcome  and  do  all  they  could  to   support  any refugees.

If  every  town  and  city  throughout  the  country  makes  a  similar  offer,  the  government  surely  will  find   it  possible  to  open  our  border  to  those in  need.   European  civilisation  has  its  origins  in  the  Abrahamic  tradition  which  requires:

“And  you  are  to  love  those  who  are  foreigners, for  you  yourselves  were  foreigners  in  Egypt.” Deuteronomy  10.19

Yours Sincerely

Jeremy Dable – Chairman Preston Faith Forum
Councillor Peter Rankin
Frank Harrington – Senior UCLAN Lecturer
Nadeem Ashfaq – Vice Chair Preston Faith Forum
Peter Lumsden – Former Chaiman Preston Faith Forum

Mission

To improve the lives of the citizens of Preston by fostering interfaith dialogue, understanding, co-operation and joint working on a range of social, economic and environmental issues.

Objectives

• To support the Preston Strategic Partnership in the development and delivery of a Common Strategy for Preston.
• To work with and in other partnerships operating in Preston.
• To influence public sector decision-makers.
• To excercise Forum’s consultation rights.
• To share concerns between faith groups.
• To increase the understanding of faiths and the positive role that they and their communities can play in society.

The Preston Faith Forum was established in May 2002 and has membership from the following faith groups: Christian, Bahá’í, Buddhist, Hindu, Islamic, Jewish and Sikh.

It exists to enable the voice of the people of various faiths in Preston to be heard in the formal decision-making community bodies of the Preston Strategic Partnership and the Preston Community Network.

No less important is the aim to encourage and facilitate constructive and positive dialogue between the various faith groups in Preston.

One of the first actions of the newly established forum was to develope a common statement expressing the aspirations belonging to the faith communities of Preston.

“Working towards PQASSO”

Practical Quality Assurance System for Small Organisations