Building Bridges in Burnley News
March 2010
Discover Muhammad
1378 years after his passing, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) has 1.57 billion followers across the globe. In celebration of his amazing life, Building Bridges in Burnley teamed up with the Burnley and Pendle Faith Centre and the students of Thomas Whitam Sixth Form to host an exciting exhibition, creative workshops and formal presentation in spectacular spiritual space at the heart of the Burnley Campus’s rotunda. (click here to read on)
February 2010
Beavers Mosque Visit
St Matthew with Holy Trinity Beaver Scout Colony have been working towards their faith badge since the beginning of January and as part of the badge they visited the Ibrahim Mosque on Clegg Street through the Building Bridges in Burnley programme on Friday 5th February 2010. (click here to read on).
A Safer Winter
Building Bridges in Burnley, in partnership with Lancashire Fire and Rescue launched a Christmas safety project over the festive season. The partnership’s work was focused on addressing the safety needs of the Christian communities celebrating during the festive season, with an aim to reducing the occurrence of fires, and deaths resulting from them. (click here to read on)
November 2009
Feed Your Neighbour 09
Its been just over a year since we first launched this initiative. Though widely hailed as a success, the main criticism of the event was that it didn't provide for deeper and more meaningful discussions. So this year, following a consultation with friends from mosques and churches, we decided to change the format, in the hopes of creating an opportunitiy for people to form new friendships. (click here to read on)
Interfaith Week 2009
National Launch and Exhibition Event
Interfaith Week has become the national calendar highlight for exciting faith led initiatives on local, regional and national levels. This year, the week was kicked off with a national exhibition and launch event at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, in Westminster, London, opposite the beautiful Westminster Abbey. The event was co-hosted by the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Interfaith Network for the United Kingdom. (click here to read on)
Burnley Schools RE Exhibition
During Interfaith Week 2009, the schools of Burnley showcased some of the work their students have produced during RE lessons. The Showcase was launched on Monday, 16th November 09 at the Burnley and Pendle Faith Centre by Helen Harrison, Lancashire County Council’s Consultant for RE and Collective Workshop, and was followed by a number of seminars led by a panel of RE experts and practitioners. (click here to read on)
Interfaith Barge Trip
A group of twenty participants from different faith backgrounds and age groups were invited to take part in a canal barge trip, along the Leeds and Liverpool canal and through the historic mile tunnel. Four participants from the Oman exchange programme were invited along with their counterparts from the U.K. We also welcomed six attendees from the United Reformed Church. Seven people from the Asian and White community also took part in the event. (click here to read on)
November 2009
Archbishop Rowan's Visit to Burnley
The Faith Centre, the crown jewel of the Building Schools for the Future programme in Burnley, played host to the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Anglican Communion, on bon-fire night. The evening began with a supper from a diverse mixture of cultures and an opportunity for people to network. Bishop John Goddard of Burnley led the day and the event was attended by a veritable who’s who of Lancashire’s Interfaith scene, as well as by other dignitaries, including Bishop Nicholas Reade of Blackburn and the Mayor and Mayoress of Burnley. (click here to read on)
October 2009
Winter and Christmas Safety Campaign Launch
Winter is one of the hardest times of the year for the elderly, especially now with the undeniable impact of global warming. At Building Bridges in Burnley, we feel it is our responsibility as faith communities to try and improve the quality of life of the elderly. That is why this year we have partnered up with Lancashire Fire and Rescue and Faiths4Change, to try and make a difference by improving the level of safety at home. The campaign was launched on 29th October 09 at the Pennine Headquarters of Lancashire Fire and Rescue and was attended by a cross section of Burnley's diverse community. The launch began with a 40 minute tour of the facility and was followed by a half-hour presentation on Fire Safety in the Home and a 5 minute DVD. (click here)
September 2009
Launch of Faith in England's Northwest Report
Each of the 12 faith based projects that featured in recent reserach undertaken by the Change Institue on behalf of the NW Forum of Faiths and the Northwest Regional Development Agency, including Building Bridges in Burnley, are mentioned in the resulting report which illustrates the impact faith communities are having on the social and economic life of the county.
This latest NWDA-sponsored research explores how faith groups effectively contribute to the outcomes of a range of public policy agendas. They do so as they pursue their day-to-day traditional role at the service of the community. The report was launched by Monsignor John Devine (NWDA) on 23rd Sept 09 at the Anglican/Methodist Centre, Ambleside, Cumbria. Extracts from the report can be found on the About Us page of this site. The full report can be downloaded from the NWDA website.
August 2009
Burnley Community Festival
The Faith Tent was planned and organised by Kath Bill and Gillian Ormerod (St. Peter's Church) with assistance from Liz Jewitt of the United Reformed Church and a member of the Bahai Faith. It was a slow start to the day, but soon many people found there way into the tent and took part in the activiites that had been arranged around the theme, "PEACE", writing prayers for peace, colouring rainbows, watching DVD's of peace-makers and making paper doves. At 3pm, broadcast live on 2BR, ten white doves were released to take, symbolically, peace to the world.
February 2009
JERUSALEM VISIT
An inter-faith pilgrimage of eight Christians and 13 Muslims have been together for a week in Jerusalem visiting and praying at the holy places (5th – 12th February). Immigration officials at Tel Aviv airport spent six hours checking the passports of the ten Muslims who were under 50 years of age. “This is a very unusual group”, they said as they tried to comprehend what inter-faith dialogue might mean. Eventually everyone’s patience was rewarded by an early morning panorama of domes, steeples and minarets on arrival in the old city of Jerusalem. We were welcomed by the Sisters of Zion at the Ecce Homo Convent situated in the middle of the Muslim Quarter. The pilgrimage was organised by Building Bridges in Burnley. The intention was to learn more about the three Abrahamic faiths, Judaism, Christianity and Islam so as to promote mutual understanding and trust here at home. Members came from many different backgrounds and professions yet were able to freely share laughter and tears together, as well as their prayers and hopes for the future. (click here for more)
February 2008
ROME VISIT
A party of five Muslims and nine Christians have attended a general audience with Pope Benedict XVI at St. Peter's. They also met with the Pontifical Council for Inter-Religious Dialogue and visited the biggest Mosque in Europe and the Great Synagogue of Rome. This self-financing visit also included the Anglican Centre, the English College and classical Rome. The piligrimage of ministers, imams and faith leaders, male and female, was organised by Buiding Bridges in Burnley, which works to increase understanding and cooperation between the faith communities. (click here for more)