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17 / 11 / 20
A £184,390 grant from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) has been awarded to the Faith & Belief Forum (F&BF) to build trust between people of different faiths and beliefs in Birmingham and the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.
F&BF will be linking different communities in the two regions; church with gurdwara, Jewish-based homeless shelter with Muslim based foodbank. Through dialogue, training and connections with schools and local authorities, the project will build more connected and cohesive communities. The Feast is a delivery partner on the project, which will build on F&BF’s existing work and connections in the West Midlands and Barking & Dagenham.
The funding is part of the Faith, Race and Hate Crime Grants scheme which was announced by Faith Minister Lord Greenhalgh on 17 November. The scheme provides groups and civil society organisations across England with funds for projects that champion the government’s commitment to building a diverse and tolerant society for all faiths and races. A total of £1.8 million is being awarded to 9 different projects.
The projects aim to help unite communities by promoting shared values among people of all backgrounds and will work to tackle and prevent discrimination and prejudice, and those acting against others because of their faith or race.
Faith Minister Lord Greenhalgh said:
“I’m proud that our country is home to people with a wonderfully diverse range of faiths and beliefs. The pandemic means people are going through a difficult year and this funding for London and Birmingham communities is part of our commitment to support them.
“This Government has a zero tolerance towards hate crimes against anyone of any faith and background, and we stand in support of all communities that suffer from prejudice and discrimination, as well as celebrating diversity, tackling discrimination and cherish our shared values that create a better place to live for all.”
Tim Mortimer, Programmes Manager at Faith & Belief Forum:
“One of the best antidotes to prejudice and hate is social contact. The Faith & Belief Forum has been building good relations between different communities across the country for over 20 years, and has a dedicated team in the West Midlands. We consistently find that bringing people from different backgrounds together results in more positive relationships and attitudes.
“We are excited to be delivering online programmes based on these tried and tested methods in Birmingham as part of this new and important MHCLG grant scheme.”
If you are interested in getting involved in this project please contact Tim on tim@faithbeliefforum.org
