REPRESENTATIVES of Worcester’s different communities came together for a tea hosted by the Mayor to send a message that there is more that binds them together than drives them apart.
Mayor of Worcester, Coun Jabba Riaz, invited representatives of faiths and local organisations to discuss the strength of the city’s community bonds.
Visitors for to the Guildhall on the day included the Very Revd Peter Atkinson, Dean of Worcester; the Revd Helen Cain, Superintendent Methodist Minister; the Revd Diane Cooksey, Rural Dean of Worcester East; the Revd Canon Dr Stuart Currie, Chaplain to the Bishop of Worcester; Canon John Everest, the Mayor’s Chaplain; the Rt Revd Dr John Inge, Bishop of Worcester; the Venerable Robert Jones, Archdeacon of Worcester; the Revd Canon Brian McGinley, Parish Priest of St George’s Roman Catholic Church; and Syed Dr Sharif Alhusaini, Muslim Chaplain to the Mayor.
Also in attendance were Inspector Tanya Beckett and Sgt Carl Jones of the Police’s Worcester Safer Neighbourhood Team; Worcester Muslim Welfare Association General Secretary Mohammed Iqbal; and, from Fortis Living, Director Catherine Cole and Diversity and Inclusion Advisor Tom Piotrowski.
“I wanted to bring together people from our different faiths and communities to make a clear point that Worcester is a city of love, not hate,” Coun Riaz said.
Bishop of Worcester, Dr John Inge, said: “I am proud to be Bishop of Worcester, a friendly and peaceful city where people of all faiths and none live happily alongside each other and create community together.”
Syed Dr Sharif Alhusaini, Muslim Chaplain to the Mayor, said: “Human hearts all share one parent heart; human souls are all noble souls that aspire to reach the same Divine Destination. Let us all live with noble morals. Let us love each other.”
