Helping to Build Bridges in Burnley

Building Bridges in Burnley looked back at a successful year at its Annual General Meeting.
Members of Building Bridges in Burnley at the AGMMembers of Building Bridges in Burnley at the AGM
Members of Building Bridges in Burnley at the AGM

The Roman Catholic Bishop of Salford was the guest speaker at this year’s meeting of the multi-faith group which also handed out awards to various community groups who have helped to build cohesion.

The Bishop, the Rt Rev. John Arnold said: “God created us for a mission and that is to serve humanity. We are all responsible for each other.

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“The earth is our common home, we are all brothers and sisters. Relationships are ways we journey together on this earth, to nourish ourselves to be good disciples of faith. Therefore, build bridges, find common grounds across cultures and not build walls.

“We have common ends and common values. We are richer as people when we blend together.”

The Community Awards were given to:

• The Ghausia Mosque for hosting the AGM and Iftar;

• The Imam organisation who organised a walk from the Fire Station to the Peace Garden after the Manchester Bombing;

• Jim Corrigal, minister of Padiham Unitarian Church, for organising a service with a Muslim Group in Nelson;

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• Community Champion Sana Khan who was presented with a prestigious award from The Lancashire BME Network. Sana won the Community Champion award for the work she has been doing to promote community cohesion and integration. The organisation recognised her selflessness in volunteering to work with young people at weekends and in the evenings across the region, as part of the team delivering the Positive Prospect Programme.

• Gym owners Tariq Khan and James McDonough who decided to open their doors to the public to help bring different communities together. Tariq and Buddy Khan sent out an open invitation for people to join them at the Iftar, one of the religious observances of Ramadan, where people gather to break their fast together. Hundreds of people gathered at the Muscle Factory in Daneshouse Road where a feast of food and drink was laid on for them.

• Father Michael Waters, a founder member of Building Bridges in Burnley, for his 17 years of loyal service to the group and whose church parishioners give a home to the New Neighbours Together Tuesday afternoon ‘drop in’ for refugees and asylum seekers.

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