Congratulations to Yvonne who received the “Interfaith Award Certificate” from Birmingham Council of Faiths: “for taking outstanding initiatives to promote harmonious interfaith relations”. The award was presented in early September. We are proud of you, Yvonne! And privileged to have you with us in Worcester. You served us well as Chair, and continue to be an inspiration to all of us.

What an interesting summer! Visiting different places of worship, including the Orthodox Christians meeting monthly at a remote Anglican church, and Worcester mosque and their amazing building plans. July saw an event in the Guildhall “Remembering Srebrenica” – described by the United Nations as the worst crime on European soil since the second World War. The blue plaque remembering the medieval Jewish community in Worcester was finally unveiled. Then in September to a conference organised by “Parenting apart”.

“Parenting apart” is an organisation “supports parents who are going through conflict, divorce or separation where relationships have broken down”. The conference was exploring how faith communities can help with this. It is part of a growing appreciation of the role of faith communities working together with statutory bodies. Good news! The conference included a very moving video entitled “If you really love me…” and was children speaking out about how they feel. One strap line was “If you really love me, let me love you both”. A very powerful film.

WIFF is much more active than I ever realised: so many wonderful people of faith do things to make a difference in their communities; and government, both local & national, seem to have realised that not only can they work with faith communities, but they must work with faith communities. We have so much to offer – often first on the scene after a crisis and the last to leave; bringing people together. Our beloved Queen realised this and often spoke about it. And King Charles appears to be carrying on that tradition.

Let us be up to the challenge!