Rochdale Town Hall the setting for interfaith event

Local residents gather in Rochdale’s Town Hall to celebrate the various local Interfaith work throughout the year

A special evening celebrated by a number of local residents, community groups, charities and faith organisations took place in Rochdale Town Hall on Monday (7 December).

Near Neighbours have partnered up with Birmingham based Nehemiah Foundation to help deliver a number of interfaith and intercultural projects across Rochdale and the wider borough as well as 14 other neighbourhoods across England.

Shanaz Mukhtar, one of the Nehemiah Foundations partners, said: “The event featured a number of groups who had received funding from the Near Neighbours program, and this event was about bringing those people together to celebrate their work.”

Ms Mukhtar has been working in Rochdale since March this year with local residents, she said: “I have spoken to many people, through the year and really taken on board their concerns. People are happy to have someone who is helping to bring them together and helping to break down cultural and religious barriers between local communities.

“As a young Muslim woman, I have really learnt a lot from this journey so far, and this event marked something special for me, as a born and bred, Rochdalian.

"My faith teaches me to serve others, and to bring people together through respect, dignity and understanding them. Nothing is more heart-warming than seeing people connecting the dots through their differences and creating lasting friendships.

"Rochdale is a special town, and there are lots of wonderful initiatives taking place across the Borough here.

"The Near Neighbours programme has been highly successful in Rochdale and we hope to continue building communities in the coming year."