Lighting the Way for a Shared Future is this year’s theme for Inter Faith week. It reflects the fact that meaningful connections are often built through everyday activities such as sharing a meal, being in nature, learning a new skill, or volunteering together.
These experiences can help people feel less isolated, develop friendships and discover what they have in common. They are also closely connected to the aims of social prescribing, which helps people access activities, relationships and community support to improve their health and wellbeing.
There are many excellent examples of faith organisations providing the local infrastructure and trusted relationships needed to realise Neighbourhood Health and Community Cohesion. Many of these organisations are already connected to local GP practices and Social Prescribing Link Workers, enabling people of different faiths to be referred into activities, support and volunteering opportunities.
Brighton and Hove: faith communities as social prescribing champions
Brighton and Hove Faith in Action developed a social prescribing champions pilot with Brighton and Hove City Council, involving volunteers from two local churches and a mosque. The volunteers received training to help people in their communities understand and access social prescribing, identify local activities and connect with link workers and other support.
The pilot brought different faith communities together around a shared purpose: making support more accessible and helping residents connect with opportunities to improve their health and wellbeing. It also demonstrated how trusted relationships within faith communities can help bridge the gap between local people and statutory services.
Nottingham: bringing faiths together through food and volunteering
Salaam Shalom Kitchen (SaSh) is a partnership between Muslim organisation Himmah and the Jewish community in Nottingham. Since 2015, it has brought volunteers together to provide free hot meals, groceries and companionship for people experiencing food poverty, homelessness, loneliness and other challenges.
Based at the Bridge Centre in Hyson Green, the partnership has collaborated with local services, charities and GP practices to receive referrals and recruit volunteers from Muslim and Jewish communities. The partnership has demonstrated how working together to support people in need can create relationships of trust and solidarity.
Luton: interfaith action for neighbourhood health and wellbeing
Biscot Peace and Wellbeing Hub, led by St Andrew’s Church in partnership with local primary care and community organisations, brings people of different faiths and cultures together to improve neighbourhood health and wellbeing. Interfaith collaboration is central to its work: at its launch, local Muslim representatives and the Bishop of Bedford joined residents and volunteers to plant a community orchard, drawing on both Islamic and Christian traditions.
The Hub now provides shared spaces and activities, including a friendship café, community gardening, women's wellbeing sessions and exercise groups. Volunteers from different faith backgrounds work together to create opportunities for people to build friendships, share experiences and contribute to their neighbourhood.
Photos of the Biscot Peace and Wellbeing Hub, from St Andrew's church, Luton.
Share your story for our new blog series
We are keen to use NASP’s platform to recognise the people and organisations already bringing communities together – often through activities that may not describe themselves as social prescribing or interfaith work.
This will help us showcase what’s available to Link Workers, GPs and other connector roles, while also strengthening understanding of how different faiths approach and support wellbeing.
If you’re from a faith organisation, interfaith network or local faith-health partnership, we’re keen to hear about what is happening in your area:
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How do your faith community’s values, principles or practices inform the way you support people's health and wellbeing?
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What are you already doing in practice – and how are you engaging with the health and care system?
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What has been the impact of your work and what have you learned?
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What would you like professionals, commissioners and policymakers to understand about working with your community?
If you’d like to be featured in our blog series, please get in touch via [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!
