The valuable work of mosques and churches in Burnley was highlighted at a special event attended by a number of community groups.

The Gather Together event was jointly organised by Building Bridges in Burnley, Burnley Family Hub and the Gather Movement and took place at the Faith Centre, Burnley Campus, Barden Lane.

This event aimed to showcase the services provided by the Burnley Family Hub network and identify the services Burnley churches and mosques are offering. 

Rt Rev Dr. Joe Kennedy, the newly appointed Bishop of Burnley, welcomed guests and was joined by Cllr Afrasiab Anwar, leader Burnley Council, Sue Hopkinson, Burnley Family Hub, and Claire Jackson from Burnley Council.

Trustee of Building Bridges in Burnley, Mozaquir Ali, said: “The participants left with a renewed sense of purpose and commitment to working together towards building a more integrated and supportive community for all residents of Burnley.

"Our appreciation goes to Sue Hopkinson and her team for undertaking much of the organisation on the ground and Mark Cowling from Gather Movement for framework of the mapping work.”

The Rt Rev. Dr Joe Kennedy, said: “I was moved by the welcome I received and was delighted to speak on social cohesion and the importance of building bridges as it is built on friendships and good relationships across the diverse community.”

Peter Lumsden, who is also a trustee of Building Bridges in Burnley, said: “ If you imagine all the activities and services across Burnley as a giant jigsaw, our aim with the event was to turn more of the pieces the right way up, and join some of them together. 

“We have made more of the jigsaw. Let's see how much more we've made next year, when we plan to repeat the event.”

Mark Cawling, of the Gather Together Movement, added: “ It was brilliant to be part of the Gather Together event at Burnley Campus which catalysed the connecting of the Voluntary Community Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) organisations and the Health and Care services.

“The mapping of faith-based organisations delivering hundreds of social action services in our communities was inspiring and the Gather Together event enables this work to be built into action networks that will help Burnley people start well, live well and age well.”