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Government gives £7.5m for all religions to work together
by Ed Beavan
%231%23.jpg) Motivated: the Communities Secretary, Hazel Blears PA |
| THE GOVERNMENT this week announced an investment of £7.5 million into interfaith work across the country, which will see the creation of faith forums in every English region. The forums are intended to provide a meeting place for faith groups to share ideas and discuss ways of working together.
The funding was announced by Hazel Blears, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, at a multifaith event at Westminster Central Hall on Monday. A framework for interfaith partnership, “Face to Face and Side by Side”, was also unveiled. It highlights case studies where groups from various religions have worked together in the past.
The initiative will allow groups to access funding under the Faiths in Action Fund. The framework also proposes holding an Interfaith Week to encourage faith communities to come together to celebrate diversity.
Ms Blears praised religious groups for providing practical support to communities across England, referring to the response of churches and others to those affected by the devastating floods in England last summer. “Faith motivates people to care about other people, and match their faith with practical action.”
She was keen to emphasise that the framework was not the Government’s prescription of what faith groups should be doing, but was a resource of best practice. She said that it was expected that there would be no proselytising during interfaith work.
The Church Urban Fund also launched a report at the event on Monday, Believing in Local Action. It highlights how communities benefit when faith groups collaborate with local councils and voluntary services.
Believing in Local Action can be downloaded from www.cuf.org.uk |
