One of my community activities is I am a member of the Southend Interfaith Working Group (see here). Despite my firm belief that my belief is right, meaning other beliefs are essentially wrong, it is an opportunity I relish and I meet some good people.We get to meet on a number of occasions during the year and cover a lot of ground.

The idea is that faith communities in Southend can work together with the Council to better serve the town. While we often find we have much in common, it does not mean we have to compromise when it comes to our beliefs. Shortly we will be putting a Faith and Belief (FAB) Day, as we did last year, so we can show case some of the activities of local faith communities, especially as these seek to serve the town, to Council staff and the general public. I believe being part of SIWG to be a useful a useful activity and our record for making a difference within the local community speaks for itself.

Postscript: Today was the day. I was there at he event for the whole time with my stall and it was great – many interesting and profitable conversations with a wide range of folk – a good omen when it is trying to break down barriers, seeking better understanding etc. – ed 17/11/2016