The country recently had experienced deep pain due to various terror attacks.

Such incidents can cause a depression and chasm between people of different faiths in a growing multi-faith society.

It is very important to counter the story of pain and anguish with the stories of the prevailing good relationships in local neighbourhoods amongst people of different faiths.

We are a loving and caring community. It is imperative for faith leaders to share the stories of love, kindness and generosity between community members.

Little Harwood is 24 per cent British, 46 per cent Indian, 21 per cent, Pakistani and three per cent Bangladeshi and all live with great sense of togetherness.

St Stephens Church of England in Little Harwood is a minority Christian worshipping community. There is also St Stephens Church of England Primary School which serves more than 95 per cent of Muslim pupils.

Our churchwarden has narrated some wonderful stories of support that our Christian members have experienced from their Muslim neighbourhood.

For example, a widowed Christian lady in her late 90s with an elderly disabled daughter awoke on a Christmas Day morning to find that their home had been burgled. But their Asian neighbours turned out in a wonderful way offering all sorts of support to make their Christmas happy and joyful.

Meanwhile a couple from the church lived in a pleasant cul-de-sac in the centre of Little Harwood. They were respected as grandparent figures by the Muslim children.

The man died suddenly which deeply saddened the neighbourhood. His wife, the only Christian person, is watchfully looked after and cared for by the Muslim neighbourhood.

Another elderly lady who, since birth, had suffered great physical disability, lived in Warrington Street for over 60 years. She was now the only Christian person living in the street. Until her death a few months ago, the neighbours not only kept an eye on her house for safety but constantly looked after her welfare.

And lately our church pews were filled with Muslim men and women from the neighbourhood, many with tears in their eyes, to pray for the victims of the terror attack in Manchester. No religion propagates violence or killing of innocent people.

‘Ubuntu’ is an African philosophy about human relationship and it highlights the human inevitably that we are inter-dependent and this can be summed up in a phrase … ‘I am because we are; since we are, therefore I am’. So, let us live in harmony and peace.

Rev. Canon Dr Arun John

Vicar of St James’ Blackburn