Stockport Council, partners and faith leaders call for a stronger and more inclusive borough at Peace Lunch

Faith leaders from across Stockport were joined by Stockport Council, GMP, Sector3 and Community networks at a Peace Lunch to celebrate diversity across the borough and discuss opportunities to further work together to drive community cohesion.

Convened by Reverand Raj Patta, Chair of Stockport’s Multi-Faith Network, the event showcased the strong cross-faith and community relationships following racist and Islamophobic incidents and civil unrest across the UK this summer.

The lunch celebrated and reaffirmed the importance of even closer collaboration among the council, partners, faith leaders and the wider Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector in our neighbourhoods.

In his opening remarks, Cllr Mark Roberts, Deputy Leader of Stockport Council and Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environment, celebrated what working in partnership across our communities has already achieved and outlined the Council’s strong, continued commitment to an inclusive Stockport that is welcoming to residents of all faith and beliefs.

Imam Abdul Sami from Heaton Mersey Mosque, Aba Graham, Chair of the Stockport Race Equality Partnership, Cathy Bird Superintendent at Stockport Methodist Circuit and Rabbi Warren Elf from the GM Faith and Belief Panel, also shared their experiences and perspectives, emphasising the important role that faith and community leaders play across the borough, both in times of crisis and celebration and also in leading Stockport’s One Stockport One Future vision.

Reverand Raj Patta, who organised the Peace Lunch, said: “I wanted to bring faith and community leaders from across the borough together to share a table and think about how we can work better together. There were some great discussions and suggestions on how we can leverage our collective influence to drive inclusion, which emphasised the importance and power of inter-faith relationships. I’m hopeful about this new era of collaboration and what we can achieve together.”

Aba Graham said: “The Peace Lunch helped us to connect and engage across cultures and consider how we can bring our communities closer together. I'm looking forward to building on the discussions we started and moving forward as One Stockport with One Future."

Cllr Roberts said: “I am proud of how Stockport communities have come together since the summer, but we know there is more we need to continue to do. The Peace Lunch was a wonderful opportunity to bring people together from different backgrounds, faiths and beliefs and show what we can achieve when come together with a common aim and ambition for hope and inclusivity for our communities. I’m excited about working together to deliver our shared One Stockport, One Future ambitions and to build a stronger and more inclusive borough.”
Pictured above: Rev. Raj Patta and Aba Graham at the Peace Lunch