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Dear God...
“Hardly anyone can ever find God because God is right at the end of your mind after all the background thoughts are gone.”
Maisie Satchwell-Hust
Project In Progress
Stories of Hope and Home is a small Birmingham-based charity with dual complementary aims: to create safe space for people seeking sanctuary to find support, build community and creatively explore their stories and experiences; and to create opportunities for their stories to be shared and heard through facilitating encounters, especially in schools.We believe in the transformative power of these encounters to share the realities faced by people seeking sanctuary in order to break down barriers, to challenge stereotypes and misconceptions, and to change the narrative around the subject of forced migration and help to develop empathy and compassion.
Project Completed
Doorstep CarnivalACE Dance and Music are deeply grateful to Westhill Endowment for their support of the Doorstep Carnival, which we delivered with Black Voices at Grosvenor Road Studios on 26 August 2023. We welcomed over a thousand people to enjoy a street Carnival procession, a new photographic exhibition by local photographer, Rob Bailey, and music and spoken work performances by local artists and musicians in the Community Garden. Our event was themed around Windrush 75 and we welcomed many Elders – our Windrush Pioneers – to celebrate with us. Despite the rain showers, everyone had a wonderful time and we are already looking forward to next year’s Doorstep Carnival!
Project In Progress
Ignite ‘Detached’ is based in Attleborough, Norfolk. It is one of seven projects run by The Ignite Youth Project. ‘Detached’ is Friday Night Street Work - on the street support that’s ‘all about relationship’. It’s ‘A safe presence, support and free hot chocolate to any young person’.Through 'Detached' young people are given time to build relationships of trust, and access advice and support on a wide range of issues. It’s open to all local young people. We aim to create ‘A space where young people can experience meaningful connection, a greater sense of their significance and value within the community’.
Project In Progress
Caritas Aspire EducationAspire Education is a project of Caritas Diocese of Salford, a social action charity based in the North West of England. Aspire Education works with refugees and asylum seekers to help the reach their education and career goals. This is done through English classes, mentoring, and wrap-around wellbeing support.
We are incredibly grateful to Westhill Endowment for their generous grant towards the transportation and resource aspects on the project. This will ensure that refugees are able to access lessons and are able to make use of quality resources during their time in the project.
Project In Progress
Interfaith Harmony, Encounter and ActionOur project aims at building strong, integrative relationships between minority and majority communities. It runs in several areas of the UK.
Celebrating Diversity – bringing together majority, minority, interfaith and multi-ethnic communities through the arts. We aim to build lasting positive community relationships using the skills of our artists, musicians, storytellers and community-builders. We invite local artistes to participate to foster equal cultural exchange and understanding in each locality.
Oxford Three Faiths Encounter – Spirit of Peace is part of this team, which delivers residential conferences and online events, bringing together Jews, Christians and Muslims for study, encounter, understanding, and lasting partnerships.
Project In Progress
Asylum seekers welcome and love projectTrinity Church Central London has grown from 1 to 88 Asylum seekers (+123 online with a significant presence in a Middle Eastern Country) in the last 18 months.
We help with clothes, a simple cooked meal on Sunday, transport to Church where needed and money for emergency food (where Children cannot eat the hotel food which is different from the food they are used to). We also offer help to process trauma for Asylum seekers and a safe space for friendship and community.
Project In Progress
The Ladywood Interfaith Education Project (LIEP) is based in inner-city Birmingham. Initiated by St John & St Peter’s Parish Church, it is a partnership between four local places of faith and schools in the Birmingham area since 1999. Please see our page to find out more.
Project In Progress
That’s how it really isWith over five decades of global experience in conflict zones, CHIPS is dedicated to fostering peace and reconciliation. We empower communities to instigate enduring grassroots transformations for restored peace. Since 2014, we've been actively engaged in Brixton, UK, focusing on countering youth violence through constructive avenues for young people. Filmmaking has proven to be a powerful avenue for Brixton's youth, teaching teamwork, collaboration, unity through the art of storytelling.
In 2021-2022, our youth crafted the poignant short film, "That's How It Really Is," shedding light on subjects like young carers, self-harm, unhealthy coping mechanisms, and child molestation. With support from Westhill Endowment, we are able to orchestrate eight screening events nationwide, encouraging dialogue, support, and proactive engagement among young people. These screenings provide an opportunity for the youth involved in the film to shape, develop, and facilitate critical conversations on these complex subjects, ultimately offering a platform for vulnerable exploration of the contemporary youth experience.
Project In Progress
Peace at the Heart of Scottish Schools: Travelling Peace Education ExhibitionWe are creating an exhibition, ‘Peace at the Heart of Scottish Schools’ to demonstrate the value of peace education and the power of children to bring peace and justice to the world.
Project In Progress
Boy’s Mentoring and AdvocacyThe Door’s mission is to bring hope into the lives of young people and their families by unlocking potential and opening opportunities so that their past does not define their future. We exist because every young person and their parents need to feel safe, happy, and valued, with the best possible opportunity to reach their potential. This pilot project aims to provide bespoke mentoring and advocacy services for boys. It aims to support the needs specifically of those who are notably absent from education and display a rise in behavioural issues resulting in ASB. Primarily working with individuals who are referred to The Door, this project will creatively support boys via digital platforms, mentoring, and produce engaging activities to both increase their constructive participation and their self-esteem.
Project In Progress
Restored is a Christian charity with a mission to speak up about the realities of violence against women and girls, and to equip the Church to stand against domestic abuse and support survivors. We’re building a network of Restored Beacon churches: churches that never tolerate abuse, but instead provide a safe refuge for survivors, journey with them on their road to recovery, and demonstrate God’s deep love for them.
Project In Progress
Campus Leadership ProgrammeThe Campus Leadership Programme run by the Council of Christians and Jews equips university students from different faith backgrounds to run interfaith events on their campuses. We offer in-depth training, mentors and small subsidies for students to run their events.
Through the programme students learn how to run effective interfaith events by discussing ground rules to create brave spaces. They also gain understanding about people’s individual faith journeys through ‘speed faithing’.
A student’s response to our recent residential training was- “I feel much more confident now approaching interfaith spaces, and I feel ready to run my own programme on campus”.
Project In Progress
Lichfield Cathedral is undertaking a year-long project to restore its central spire and increase engagement with its heritage. To do this, we are creating a community theatre project bringing to life the stories of the people connected with the founding of the Cathedral, including St Chad and Bishop Headda, and countless of pilgrims who have visited the Cathedral from AD700 to the present day.
Project In Progress
Spiritual care in the community at end of lifeAt end of life, spiritual support helps people to explore and connect with what matters most to them and work through difficult existential questions about life and death. The Hospice of St Francis’s spiritual advisory team supports patients admitted to the Hospice’s Inpatient Unit to address these issues.
Thanks to this grant, the team will be able to extend this support to people receiving care at home ensuring 40 more people find peace and acceptance as they approach the end of life.
Project In Progress
ACCEPT is a small charity whose vision is improved mental health for those experiencing difficulties and good mental health for the wider population, whose activities mostly take place at a community wellbeing garden in Barwell, Leicestershire.Westhill’s kind provision includes the support of a weekly wellbeing gardening group and the production of permanent outdoor sculptures, alongside the loan of Westhill’s sculptures, to assist in working through the grieving process, as part of the Bereavement Support Project.
Project In Progress
Empowering the church to safely help offenders live crime free livesSixty-One helps prisoners and ex-prisoners lead meaningful crime-free lives within Greater Bristol. We do this by inspiring, enabling and supporting the local community to provide the relational and practical support offenders need.
Much of our activity is partnership based, particularly with churches. Westhill’s' funding will be used to fund our work supporting church-based Hubs. These provide regular community-based support to small groups of ex-prisoners. This support, combined with a local community connection, can make a profound impact on the offender’s life, and chance of reoffending.
Project In Progress
Graduate Project at Greenbelt 2023The Student Christian Movement is a community of students, past and present, deeply committed to an inclusive, progressive and radical approach to the Christian faith. Our vision is of SCM as a generous community, expressing a lived faith in Jesus Christ where social action meets prayerful devotion. We seek to be both a radical voice for equality and justice, and a safe home for progressive Christian students.
Project In Progress
Coventry & Warwickshire Worldviews: Images That SpeakOur project aims to create a professional photograph pack which will reflect the diverse nature of our local communities as a rich resource for the teaching of RE in this area.
The digital photo pack will include professional photographs, taken by Mark Pemberton, which collate the places of worship in our locality and will also document local themes of ‘peace’ and ‘reconciliation’.
Project In Progress
Faiths, Neighbours, ChangemakersThe Smethwick Places of Worship Heritage Trail will be a chance for people to visit Smethwick, explore the diverse faith communities and learn about the history and current life of the different places of worship. There will be 3 trails of varying lengths that will incorporate Churches, Mosques, Gurdwaras and Mandirs, they will reveal something of the rich industrial history of the area and the way faith impacts daily life for people today. The trail will be launched in spring 2024 when people will be able to join organised walks or download maps and details and take the walk themselves.
Project In Progress
Providing Specialist Support in PrisonsCruse has a long history of supporting grieving prisoners. Over the past three years our ‘Grief Inside’ project, funded by The Ministry of Justice, developed a framework of support to help meet the needs of prisoners with varying levels of grief complexity.
The project learned that prisoners benefit greatly from having someone to listen to their experiences and support them to learn healthier ways of coping and how to build stronger social support mechanisms.
Project In Progress
Learning about good community relations in South Asian Heritage Faith Communities.There have been tensions in Leicester between members of different communities during the past eighteen months. We have been working with a wide range of community groups and individuals to develop a clearer understanding of the issues and enable people of differing perspectives to encounter each other in a safe and supportive environment.
Thanks to funding from Westhill, we will develop this work further through a focused study day. We will hear in turn Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, and Christian perspectives on the situation, before facilitating a reflective discussion amongst participants as to how to maintain strong community relations.
Project In Progress
Imago Dei is a Christian charity founded in 2016, working in the Criminal Justice Sector to provide courses for women in prison and continuing ongoing support once they leave prison. Working through the Chaplaincy departments of the prisons, our Christian values of showing compassion and support to those in need, underpin all our work with those who have had contact with the Criminal Justice System. Our courses, through-the-gate, and community support work are accessible and welcome women of all faiths and none.
Project In Progress
The Avon Indian Community Association (AICA) is an umbrella organisation for Indian communities living in the Bristol area. Our vision is to provide a platform for promoting social cohesiveness within the current and new generations of people of Indian origin and the wider community.The AICA also strives to create better understanding and awareness of Indian culture, heritage and values to encourage and promote cross and inter-cultural communication. One of the ways we achieve this is by running and celebrating important social events - bringing communities together to celebrate Indian history and culture. The Diwali Festival of Lights is scheduled to take place on the 10th November 2023.
Project In Progress
Faith in Birmingham: Street PhotographyPeter Vale is a street photographer passionate about capturing the colour and diversity of the city of Birmingham’s religious landscape. Using Peter’s photography, this project explores the different ways in which faith (of different kinds) is expressed within the public square.
This project will seek to develop two interlinked resources around a selection of Peter’s photos: 1) an online RE classroom resource on the diversity of public expressions of faith in the city; 2) a portable exhibition, which can be used to support RE/RS teaching about the diversity of faith in contemporary Britain, which can be used by schools, places of worship, libraries and museums. The project is jointly funded by Westhill Endowment and St Peter’s Saltley Trust.
Project In Progress
The Natashas Project “What will Farah do?” Primary school educational theatre piece.Thanks to Westhill Endowment’s generous grant, we have begun the early stages of creating an interactive theatre production using visual language, dance, puppetry & British Sign Language to communicate the issue of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) to KS2 children. Sharing how to spot the signs and the links to modern slavery.
The aim is to create something all children can understand regardless of language or hearing barriers and empower a child to speak up if something is wrong. We hope in the future to develop this into a touring production that can be rolled out to primary schools across the country.
Project In Progress
Diverse VoicesBolton Lads and Girls Club (BLGC) is an innovative and progressive young people’s charity based in Bolton, Greater Manchester. Established in 1889, our mission is to enable children and young people, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to live healthier, happier, and safer lives. We believe that every child deserves the best start in life and chance to fulfil their potential.
Project In Progress
Faces (Faiths Against Child Sexual Exploitation) are a Christian-Muslim charity with a mission to build resilience within faith communities against child sexual exploitation and other forms of harm. We view faith as contributing positively towards safeguarding, rather than being a risk factor as it’s often framed.We offer training to faith communities and external organisations, including schools, police and local authority. Supported by our own research into young people’s experiences of Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) in schools, we’re providing training for educators to equip them to shape and deliver faith literate RSE.
Project Completed
Encountering and Understanding Different FaithsLeeds SACRE are making a film of an Orthodox Synagogue so that schools which are unable to visit will be able to access a professionally made film which shows and explains the interior of the Synagogue.
This resource could also be used prior to, (or following) a Synagogue visit to prepare children for what they might expect to see. This film will be suitable for KS2 and KS3 pupils to explore the interior of a Synagogue with a comprehensive explanation of the various parts of the Synagogue and the artefacts contained within and how they are used.
Project In Progress
Transforming culture through relationships education in Primary SchoolsThanks to Westhill Endowment’s generous grant, we will be developing a new relationships curriculum in primary schools. Our acclaimed Esteem programme has a significant impact in secondary schools, and following demand from both teachers and children, we are excited to be able to expand our work into primary schools.
We will pilot the new resources with 500 children in London in the first year, and then roll it out to 1000 children in the second year. We will train 108 primary school teachers to enable them to deliver the sessions confidently and effectively.
Project In Progress
Shieldfield Art Works is an arts organisation based in Shieldfield, Newcastle upon Tyne. SAW believes art and creativity are integral parts of human life, and with art’s unique ability to articulate, question and enquire, we can enact positive change in our communities and the world.As a project of the Methodist Church, we are built upon Christian foundations of seeking truth, challenging injustice, social activism and operating for the common good. Our broad programme includes developing high quality art exhibitions, events, workshops, conferences, gardening and publications. Anyone, of any faith or none, is welcome to participate in our programme. (Photo credit: Adam Dixon)
Project In Progress
11+ Free Tuition BursariesGrammar Schools were always designed to improve social mobility….. So what has happened…?
Fairview Education provides Free Tuition Bursaries to disadvantaged children in Gloucestershire who qualify for Free School Meals (FSM) so that they have a better chance of passing the 11+ Grammar school entry examination.
Gloucestershire grammar schools are state funded but have a very low FSM intake (4.5%) compared with other secondary schools (16%). This is because the entry examination is so difficult that many parents employ private tutors to help their children prepare. This is simply unaffordable for FSM families and so we provide weekly face to face tutoring for free during the year before the examination.
Project In Progress
Creative Green RE in LutonThis project gives Luton pupils the chance to be artistic in RE about climate change and justice issues, informed by a multi-faith panel of speakers. Beginning with a conference in Nov 2022, 6-8 Luton secondary schools are leading the project and sharing creative RE ideas on green issues across the town. At the next stage, primary pupils will also be involved and there are plans for an exhibition of pupils’ green spiritual art in the town’s public gallery.
Project In Progress
Prayer SpacesThe Christian Education Project is based in the London Borough of Redbridge, with the aim of: “Serving schools; Inspiring Minds & Exploring Faith”. They provide a variety of free services to schools, including Prayer Spaces.
Prayer Spaces are set up in a hall or other large space where pupils and staff of all faiths and beliefs can come to consider and respond to the key questions of life. Pupils move in a carousel between a number of tactile, interactive bases set around different themes. Students are included in the planning stage, when possible, to help shape their school’s space.
Project In Progress
Tales of Wonder, Wisdom and HumourReligious Education in many schools is not seen as a priority and some non-muslim parents feel concerned when it has anything to do with Islam. Using multi-faith storytelling, with professional award-winning Khayaal Theatre, we hope to build bridges in the primary schools and generate a better understanding of not just Islamic but of other faiths and cultures too, highlighting mutual links and crossover between all traditions. Means of storytelling does not confront orthodoxy of religion; it rather seeks to inform participants in a culturally acceptable manner.
Project In Progress
Equipping for ChangeThe Praxis Centre exists to help Christians bring hope and justice in their local communities and our society. Our Hopeful Activists Podcast aims to inspire you with bold stories and deep discussion from a huge range of activists.
Our Praxis Labs online training creates space for would-be and existing change-makers to reflect, think and dream, as well as to learn practical skills for campaigning and community projects.
Project In Progress
Religion, Values and EthicsWorking with a wide range of stakeholders, this project seeks to develop teaching and learning resources to support and embed Religion, Values and Ethics (RVE) firmly within the Curriculum for Wales.
The project will offer strategy and leadership together with curriculum and pedagogical support to allow RVE to flourish as it takes on its new position within the Humanities Area of Learning, and support learners as they become religiously literate, ethical informed citizens ready to take their role within our multi-cultural, multi religious, multi secular world.
Project In Progress
Interfaith learningChristian and Muslim colleges in the UK produce many of our future religious leaders. They are also vital sites of influence for students’ engagement with, and attitudes towards, religion and worldview diversity. Yet the UK higher education sector is faced with barriers to student cohesion; research has uncovered prejudice towards students from minority backgrounds, and disputes around freedom of speech are widespread.
This project meets the urgent need to understand how students at UK theological colleges make sense of religious diversity. It is the first research of its kind to examine how college climates enable or impede positive attitudes towards those of different faiths and worldview perspectives.
Project In Progress
St Faith’s Centre Wall HangingWe, the Ringlestone Community Centre Development Group, are very excited to be in the finishing phase now of our church and community centre called St Faith's Centre in Maidstone. Our excitement is increased by the fact that we have commissioned Juliet Hemingway, a renowned Christian artist and embroiderer, to design and make a huge hanging for the focal wall of the main hall.
Project In Progress
RE Matters is a Newham business that seeks to support, inspire, and transform learning in schools. Student RE Matters is a group of young people interested in moral and religious issues from different backgrounds and cultures who get together each half term from different Newham secondary schools. It gives an opportunity for these students to discuss spiritual and moral issues that are important to them.
Project In Progress
SparkFish is a local collaborative Christian organisation that aims to inspire and encourage young people in faith, hope and love. We engage with young people in schools across Reigate, Redhill and Merstham, East Surrey.
Project In Progress
Church EngagementThe Cinnamon Network makes it as easy as possible for local churches to set up sustainable social action projects, find funding and get the right support and training to make a positive impact.
To achieve this, they collaborate with a network of 37 grass-roots social action charities – known as the Cinnamon Recommended Projects. They are investing in the growth of this network, and together unlock the potential of churches of all denominations across the UK to make a difference in their communities. Please read on to find out more.
Project In Progress
Peace Feasts in BristolBridges for Communities is a small, innovative charity that seeks to help make Bristol a more welcoming, inclusive and fair city. Our projects connect people of different cultures and faiths, in order to challenge stereotypes and prejudice and promote friendship and understanding. A major part of our work is focused on helping refugees and asylum seekers to feel welcome and part of the community here.
Project In Progress
Leicester Schools Peace ProjectThe Leicester Schools Peace Project is supporting the flourishing of our superdiverse city by creating a scheme of work for Peace Education from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 4. This project is in partnership with Leicester SACRE and will be part of the New Agreed Syllabus for Leicester.
Project In Progress
The Hildegard ProjectThe Hildegard Project, builds on the work of the community, facing a rapidly changing world. We find ourselves in our 30th Anniversary Year and continue our dedication to the healing ministry. Holy Rood House supports people of all ages in their physical, mental and spiritual health through recognising the interface between the gardens, arts, spirituality and justice, which get to the heart of this project.
Our therapeutic and theological work inform each other, challenging the community to respond to the health needs of individuals, especially children and young people, whose lives have been shattered due to the pandemic and who are struggling with the fears of climate change, war, and anxieties building up in their family lives. We are also seeking through this project to respond to the healing of communities and to the earth.
Project In Progress
The CARE ProjectThe Parish Trust is a registered charity based in Trethomas, Caerphilly. The charity was established in 2019 and is founded on Christian principles. There are many projects that come under The Parish Trust, one being ‘The CARE Project’.
The CARE Project helps alleviate food poverty by providing care packages of food and non-food essentials to users that are struggling financially, elderly or vulnerable individuals who are unable to leave their homes to purchase food from the shops. The CARE Project also offers a prescription collection service, a listening ear and pastoral care.
Project In Progress
Westhill Endowment’s grant will allow Transforming Lives for Good (TLG) to open 47 new Early Intervention centres across the UK from 2023-2024 in partnership with local churches. This will train 235 new volunteer coaches to get alongside 230 children in school, who are facing a variety of difficulties.By letting them know someone cares and encouraging them to reengage with their education, we are able to combat the devastating impact of COVID-19 lockdowns and the cost-of-living crisis on these already-disadvantaged children’s emotional and mental wellbeing.
Project In Progress
Christian RE in schoolsWorking with 60 schools across Bristol and the South West, we visit classrooms to deliver high-quality, interactive and engaging RE workshops. As qualified teachers we design professional resources for each lesson, to increase the engagement of pupils and inspire school staff in their own RE lesson planning.
Many of our primary workshops involve a craft element to consolidate the learning of pupils and to take home as a reminder of the Bible story they've heard.
Project In Progress
The Lighthouse Creative ProjectsThe Lighthouse is a vibrant community hub that hosts a range of creative projects to support and empower those who find themselves on the margins.
Project In Progress
Relational Hub CollectiveRelational Hub supports youth workers and their organisations to create sustainable youth work projects that provide a home away from home for the young people who need one most.
Project In Progress
Boro Cereal is an exciting initiative, designed to equip and empower Primary School aged children to engage with and improve their local culture, making a big difference in Middlesbrough. Working with schools and churches, BiG KIDS will deliver a series of creative lessons, focussing on servant leadership, entrepreneurial and presentation skills, giving children opportunities to innovate social action community projects; inspiring them to change the negative cycles they often find themselves in. We believe that God has placed each of us in our localities and situations for a purpose – we hope to allow the children to find theirs.
Project In Progress
Hand to Mouth work in schools predominantly in West Yorkshire and Lancashire. Much of our work is part of an HTM RE day, where collective worship may begin the day, with our popular puppet tales. Our puppets have been telling Bible stories now for over 20 years! We then go on to lead lessons and Godly Play, allowing the children the opportunity to think about world issues and the life they lead.
Project In Progress
Supporting Parents Bereaved by SuicidePeer support to parents bereaved by suicide offering the compassion, empathy, understanding, friendship, and hope that only other bereaved parents can give. The Compassionate Friends provides in-person support, either one-to[1]one, or in groups, including those dedicated solely to parents bereaved by suicide, and at weekend retreats for parents bereaved by suicide; online via Facebook or the community forum, or in online support groups for parents bereaved by suicide; on the phone or by email via our national helpline or through a Grief Companion; in print via our leaflets, including ‘After Suicide’, and our postal bereavement library.
Project In Progress
Bristol SACRE aims to bring together people from various worldviews and communities with its Bristol Minds project. This will introduce KS3 students from ten secondary schools to ‘Bristol Minds’ (BMs), who are adults of diverse worldviews working in creative, intellectual, scientific, non-profit or professional fields. The students will interview their BM, asking how their worldview informs their professional lives and day-to-day activities and experiences. The students will create a range of visual resources to share understanding of the BMs and what they have learned through their direct interaction. In Spring 2023, a conference will bring together all the participants to share outcomes.
Project In Progress
We work with asylum seeker and refugee families in Holbeck and Beeston which is an inner-city area in South Leeds. We teach English to adults which is embedded in “getting to know and make relationships with the local community”. We also sign post them to other organizations who are able to assist them and go out to events. We run activities for the children of parents who are learning with us. We feel that this is important as children so often have better English than their parents and by necessity become their parents’ helpers as the family tries to navigate their way through a system in a new language.
Project In Progress
The Social Integration Project aims to bring a diverse community together.The town of Midsomer Norton in Somerset has changed over the years. Previously a buzzing market town, more opportunities are needed for its increasingly diverse cultural groups to mix and interact with each other. A sizable Muslim community now meets weekly in the Town Hall for prayer, and the local Hindu community has just opened the area’s first ever Hindu temple.
The Social Integration Project aims to engage with all religious groups, hoping to create links for members to engage with wider civic society. We also want to create an environment where people of all backgrounds feel a sense of pride in the town.
Project In Progress
Gospel 2023With seven years of experience, our next Festival: GOSPEL April 2023 aims to celebrate ‘Christianity and Creativity’ in a mixed arts festival. An invitation for everyone to engage with the expressive arts whether of different faiths or none, to explore and discover more of life in many vibrant ways.
The theme of GOSPEL 2023 will spark curiosity with the Gospel story and introduce or reacquaint people with Gospel meaning, purpose and hope. We strive to eradicate misconceptions about the Christian faith to encourage unchurched people to engage with the Christian faith especially young people, the future of our faith and church.
Project In Progress
Finding Common Ground Through CalligraphyMuslim Women’s Council is a registered charity based in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Our vision is ‘for every woman, life with all its opportunities’, and our mission is to empower women for the benefit of society. Our project, ‘Finding common ground through calligraphy’, is about using the beautiful art of calligraphy to bring together women of different faiths living in the same city, ensuring more women feel their stories are heard and valued. We will create an exhibition that encourages communities to converge and reflect on shared heritage living in Bradford regardless of faith.
Project In Progress
Kids Alive International is a Christian charity serving some of the world’s most vulnerable children through a number of projects. This includes Hall Mead School, a Christian primary school for 500 impoverished children from challenging backgrounds in one of the poorest regions of Kenya. But the school has had no library and very little Christian literature. Thanks to Westhill Endowment, we can refurbish one of the classrooms into a library, where children can go to read Christian literature and classroom study materials (none of them have any book or toys at their home!). Thank you Westhill Endowment!
Project In Progress
REQM SparklersThe RE Council’s RE Quality Mark is pleased to announce this new project 'REQM Sparklers'. Working with Westhill Endowment, we are compiling case studies of schools that benefited from grant support from Westhill between 2016 and 2019.
Interviews with teachers, pupils and students will be published here in 2022. During the remainder of 2021, we will be organising events bringing teachers together online, and in local areas where feasible, to celebrate the REQM and to share the ‘fizz’ with others! If your school was involved in achieving an award during this period we would love to hear from you…..
Project In Progress
Love Weoley Castle (in South Birmingham) seeks to undertake community driven projects. It gathers people together who live and/or work on the estate to share and create good news stories. The projects evolve from these gatherings and can be as simple as planting flowers in public spaces to sending Santa letters at Christmas to running larger community events. These all seek to promote the gifts and talents of our neighbourhood in an increasingly diverse area.
Project In Progress
The Small House: Art InstallationEach year a monumental artwork of museum quality is installed as part of Southwark Cathedral’s annual art installation series. The artwork is intended to give people new access points to the Cathedral, through an exploration of unconventional materials and mediums.
The 2022 installation is entitled “The Small House”, and sees artist Richard Woods work with a 2D cartoon depiction of a terraced house, constructed out of wood, with themes including housing, homelessness, the cost of living crisis, and environmental sustainability.
Project In Progress
The REC is working with Birmingham-based RE Today on a project to support the RE Syllabus writers, and curriculum developers, in their work on interpreting a Religion and Worldviews approach. The Westhill grant will help fund the cost of an Expert Advisory Group.
Project In Progress
Jubilee Events is a social enterprise on a mission to bring positive change to the events industry. For us, jubilee is all about the joyful celebration of life, and the radical opportunity for a new beginning.As a Grace Enterprises business, all employees are paid the real Living Wage and given the support they need to flourish in their job. We provide marquee hire services for weddings, parties and corporate events. This creates amazing side-by-side jobs where colleagues can be trained, supported and encouraged. We also offer events management and consultation services which enable us to provide an all-inclusive events package.
Project In Progress
Hope in RecoveryThe Recovery Foundation exists to pass on the hope that we have by encouraging growth and recovery and positively impacting our community. We are a charity based in Birmingham with a focus on providing support to those recovering from a mental illness.
We offer a 12-month support package which includes Peer Support Groups, workshops, training and 1:1 support. Our main focus is to demonstrate that a mental illness isn’t a life sentence – there is hope. We teach people through our programme to find, grow and sustain hope throughout life’s ups and downs.
Project In Progress
As part of the church's ongoing support of our local community we established a network of little libraries around 7 years ago which has expanded most years and now totals 9 libraries in a mixture of public spaces and primary school settings.3 years ago we set up a network of little pantries with the simple idea that people could place food in them or take as needed, we have discovered these to be a real blessing to our local community.
Project In Progress
Change Makers: Next StepsSeedbeds runs Change Makers to bring together small groups of adults nominated from their local communities because they are seen to have the potential to become community leaders. This 5 month emerging community leaders programme culminates with the Change Maker pitching their idea for change to a Resource Panel. Scholarships are provided to make the programmes as accessible as possible.
Through Westhill’s support a new version of Change Makers will be offered at a Level III NCFE qualification in ‘Sustainable Community Leadership’. As many of our participants have no qualifications, we hope this recognised qualification could further a pathway of educational and vocational growth.
Project In Progress
Enabling Encounter ProjectStories of Hope and Home’s Enabling Encounter Project has two interdependent aspects. First, to create safe, welcoming and mutually supportive space for people with lived experience of seeking asylum to come together to build community and to explore and process their experiences. And second, to bring them together with others, facilitating encounters particularly with children and young people and those who work with them. Story-sharing and first-hand encounter have the power to transform understanding, to challenge stereotypes and misconceptions, and to develop empathy and compassion, which are the foundations for building relationships across diverse cultures and experiences.
Project In Progress
Festivals - Come and Celebrate.Keynsham Girls’ Brigade is planning a series of displays at Victoria Methodist Church and Key Centre - Easter, Pentecost, Christmas, Fair Trade, Harvest and the Environmental importance of gardens. They will be informative, multi-sensory, thought provoking and accessible to different ages and abilities. They will also produce smaller displays in the Baptist Church garden which opens onto Keynsham High Street.
Project In Progress
B: MusicCommunity Spirit is Symphony Hall’s annual mass singing programme that has brought together Birmingham’s diverse communities since 2009 to celebrate the City; enhance social inclusion, connectedness and friendships; support local residents’ skills development; and to increase positivity and well-being. In 2022, after a series of singing workshops with Black Voices, one of B:Music’s Associate Artists and the UK’s leading black acapella group, some 300 individuals from up to ten choirs will celebrate their collective voice and the vital contribution that they make to the cultural life of Birmingham, by performing a very special showcase event at Symphony Hall in July.
Project In Progress
Our Community Connect Programme aims to equip and empower churches and charities with the practical tools needed to connect with their communities: bridging gaps in service provision and overcoming divides.Providing an opportunity for community leaders nationally to access essential training and support, we are enabling them to develop and deliver effective specialist mentoring and outreach projects: these projects aim to address complex social issues, including homelessness, poverty, and abuse; encompassing the holistic needs of the individuals they serve while increasing awareness and understanding of mental health within their wider community.
Project In Progress
What is Life?’ Science Spectacular Sound and Light ShowA Son-et-Lumiere experience transforming the internal space of Worcester Cathedral.
Visitors to the event are immersed in the soundscapes they hear and walk through the light artworks that are all around them. On an explorative journey they can contemplate the contributions of science and human understanding of the physical world around us. The event offers reflection on the ways in which science and religion neither prove nor disprove the other; exploring how wisdom and beauty both serve to kindle our imaginations and enlarge our capacity for wonder.
Project In Progress
The Ripple EffectRJ Working is a Cornish charity that uses Restorative Practice to support young people to build their social and community connections, reduce loneliness and conflict and to take the lead in addressing social injustice issues in their lives and communities.
The Ripple Effect Programme enables young people to learn Restorative principles and language and develop their communication and problem solving skills. Westhill’s funding will enable over 70 young people from areas experiencing social and economic disadvantage in West Cornwall to have increased community connection, reduce their risk of social and school exclusion and empower them as leaders.
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Through replacing out-dated technology with new digital and wi-fi resources, we aim to enrich the experiences of children within our Sunday School, and the young people in our Youth Club. As a congregation, we hope to transform our ability to present the gospel in contemporary ways, both within our church and beyond its doors.Our hope is to evolve into a ‘hybrid church’, as we continue with our ‘live’ activities whilst also utilising broadcasts of church services and celebrations via social media platforms. We will also explore the potential for collaborative worship with other Welsh language churches, both locally and nationally.
Project In Progress
Support of Afghan RefugeesEntraide was set up to support asylum seekers, refugees and other vulnerable migrants in Solihull and the surrounding area to facilitate their integration into society.
The project funded by Westhill aims to facilitate the integration of Afghan refugees resettled in Solihull and the surrounding area through befriending, leisure and recreational activities and employment support.
Project In Progress
XLP’s nationally recognised mentoring programme matches an at-risk young person with a trained mentor who encourages them to make positive life choices. Meeting every week for 30 weeks of the year, our mentoring focuses on ensuring young people aged 11-18 stay in education, aren’t involved in gang culture or antisocial behaviour, and work hard to achieve the goals they set. XLP’s mission statement is: ‘To engage in long-term relationships that empower young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to complete their education, avoid anti-social behaviour and ultimately become independent and confident contributors within their communities.’
Project In Progress
The Centre‘The Centre’ provides safe, inclusive and welcoming provision for young people in Nottingham. It is an opportunity for young people to take part in weekly activities and access support in a holistic programme of creative and skill-building activities that include drama, dance, beatboxing and spoken word, enabling participants to catch a break in a supportive environment. (Photo: Owen Harvey)
Project In Progress
Connecting CommunitiesCombatting poverty and preventing homelessness has been our leading mission for more than 25 years. Embedded in communities of deprivation, we exist because chronic poverty, extreme inequality, and severe disadvantage exist in Greater Manchester.
Our Connecting Communities project focuses on the work we do with refugees and asylum seekers. We create an aspirational space for people to develop their English language skills, get involved with holistic activities and build a community.
Project In Progress
The Faith & Belief Forum exists to create a connected and supportive society where people of different faiths, beliefs and cultures have strong, productive and lasting relations. We work towards our vision by implementing three interconnected and strategic goals. Equipping Learners, Building Movement, and Projecting Voice.Our Encountering Faiths & Beliefs workshops model interfaith dialogue and co-operation in action, whilst avoiding essentialisation through contextualising personal identity, faith and culture.
Project In Progress
The Bell Tower Youth Drop-in provide daily after school youth provision for all secondary school students. Our project launched in 2014 after previous government funded youth centres had to close due to the cut backs to the statutory youth services.Our primary goal is to provide all young people in our city with a safe place, with opportunities to volunteer, learn and thrive through our various off-shoot projects.
Project In Progress
Gardening for RecoveryFor over 55 years SCT has been supporting people in East London affected by homelessness and addiction. Our projects provide stepping-stones towards recovery and a positive life.
Gardening is one of the activities offered in our Training & Development Centre, where SCT residents and members of the wider recovery community can learn new skills, make friends and have fun.
Our community gardens are in the grounds of St. Leonard’s Church at the heart of Shoreditch, and are carefully maintained by our students and volunteers throughout the year.
Project In Progress
Recourse to RefugeBeauty for Ashes Refuges was set up in response to the plight of women and children fleeing domestic abuse who were being turned away from refuges due to their immigration status. We envision a world free from domestic abuse. But until then we want to ensure that all women fleeing domestic abuse, regardless of their immigration status, are able to access refuge provision.
We will provide refuge in the North West of England for migrant women fleeing domestic violence, who due to the No Recourse to Public Funds Policy cannot access ‘normal refuge.’
Project In Progress
Antifreeze Homeless CentreOff the Fence Trust works to redress the social and economic imbalances in Brighton & Hove. To achieve this we tackle both the root causes and the effects of emotional and physical poverty; walking alongside those impacted; providing practical support and taking hands and hearts to where they are most needed. Our Antifreeze project covers short-term emergency support, medium term care and long term solutions.
Project In Progress
Local communityMillions of families are facing not knowing where the next meal is coming from, so The Message Community Grocery is here to help. Inside a Grocery you’ll find a range of food option and families can join for £5 annual membership. This gives them access to three healthy shops per week at £3 per shop (worth £30+) as well as access to a range of support courses that are accessible to the whole family.
Project In Progress
‘Multi-faith Approaches to Diversity and Racial Equality’ is a student led project which aims to develop pupil and teacher understanding of the approaches to diversity and racial equality across different religions and world views. Through pupil/teacher conferences a bank of high quality resources for all secondary schools in Wolverhampton are being developed.
Project In Progress
Fitness and Wellbeing Programme ImprovementsMercy UK is a charity rooted in supporting young women with life-controlling issues. Our free of charge residential home, which opened in 2006, offers a faith-based holistic approach to improving the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual wellbeing of women facing issues such as self-harm, eating disorders and abuse.
Developing positive mental health and wellbeing habits is key is sustaining freedom. The funding from Westhill has helped us to improve the fitness programme by covering the cost of new gym equipment, the development of workshops and purchase of Birthday gifts for our residents.
Project In Progress
The Pitch and Reel Issues Films (RIF) are committed to developing a generation of filmmakers, through supporting and presenting the creative potential of the Bible as an often-overlooked source of stories. The Pitch presents old stories in fresh, creative ways, retelling them to introduce their universal appeal to new audiences. Breaking into the film industry and funding short films is notoriously difficult.The Pitch and RIF are a perfect meeting place for filmmakers, elevating stories, whilst commending the Bible within the industry and, culture at large. The Pitch’s supportive environment offers a ‘level playing field’ route into the industry.
Project In Progress
The Follow the Star Nativity Trail was an event combining a QR code story trail in the local area featuring animated videos, quality Nativity themed craft activities, animals and a community atmosphere.
Project In Progress
Peace DovesDerby Cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Derby, and a centre for mission and worship serving the people and parishes of the Diocese of Derby. It is a place of light, beauty and innovation offering sanctuary for all to explore faith, life and heritage, grounded in God’s unconditional love.
As part of its events programme in 2022 the Cathedral is proud to present Peace Doves, a stunning installation of paper doves created by Peter Walker Sculptor. The project will take place from 23rd April – 12th June 2022. A grant from Westhill will help deliver the community engagement aspect of this project.
Project In Progress
2021 was the 11th year, that as a church, we have connected with our local community through a festival programme. We have discovered it to be a brilliant way to connect with people in their everyday routine by being in a variety of venues with a variety of activities. You will find us in local schools, shops, pubs, and out on the street. This is the church out and about.
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Our community project ‘Thrive’ consists of two community initiatives helping to address vulnerability and marginalisation, disadvantage and social welfare among the elderly, (though not exclusively) through community outreach activities.Thrive seeks to improve health and welfare be it emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually of those who find themselves disadvantaged, suffering from being on the fringes of society, not able to access what may be available in their community due to their physical and mental limitations. We run singing cafes every week in 6 different venues across our county (and online) and monthly tea parties which anyone can access. Both have common benefits helping to improve mental and physical health and overall wellbeing.
Project In Progress
JustPeopleThe Prison Advice and Care Trust (Pact) is a national charity that supports prisoners, people with convictions, and their families to make a fresh start, and works to minimise the harm that can be caused by imprisonment to people who have committed offences, to families and to communities.
Our project, ‘JustPeople,’ is creating opportunities for people across the South East of England to discover how they can put their faith into action by supporting people in prison, their families and children.
Project In Progress
Reconnecting older people during lockdownsThe aim of this project was to reconnect a group of older citizens together, and with their families, via online platforms during the pandemic lockdowns. The seniors were able to engage in social, recreational and educational activities while they were unable to meet physically.
The seniors were able to be connect with each other via the use of 12 Wi-Fi enabled tablets which they were trained to use. This relieved isolation by enabling them to enjoy ‘meeting’ socially and sharing experiences and fellowship during a very isolating time.
Project In Progress
The Loving Earth project: caring for the world we love.The Loving Earth Project helps people engage with questions about the environment creatively, and without being overwhelmed, through an international community textile project and in other ways.
Travelling exhibitions of textile panels highlight some of the precious things at stake, and what some people are doing to help. These, and associated events, can inspire and empower further action. Please see our page for more information.
Project In Progress
Kids Alive International is a Christian charity serving some of the world most vulnerable children through a number of projects, including the Kids Alive Academy in Zambia, a Christian primary school for 550 impoverished children from challenging backgrounds.The school currently has no library and very little Christian based literature. Thanks to the Westhill Endowment we are now planning to refurbish one of the classrooms into a library, where children can go to read books, read classroom study materials, and have access to computers - many of the children have never even seen a computer, never mind used one!
Project In Progress
Sheffield Methodist Circuit exists to support local Churches in their Christian mission and witness in and to their local communities. This project, with support from Westhill Endowment, is to provide regular Learning Hubs and training opportunities for paid and volunteer Youth and Children's Workers from across Sheffield - both within the Methodist Church and with other denominations, and also for those with no faith who are supporting young people and children.
Project In Progress
FIZZY FINN FINDS HIS FEET … in a crackling Christmas adventure! A play written by Jon Boustead, directed by Erin Burbridge and designed by Anna Gooch.
Many young children have found recent lockdowns and absences from friends and family very stressful, causing anxieties they find hard to articulate. Riding Lights Theatre Company has created this wonderfully insightful Christmas show to address some of these problems in a gentle, fun way. We wanted to support teachers in this arena by providing helpful teaching resources that they could use with children who see the live show or the film download.
Project In Progress
Following the success (an average of 20,000 participants per year) and demand of Spirited Arts in England, we are now expanding it across the whole UK, so it is offered as an opportunity to every school and every pupil. Through this, we can engage and encourage all children and young people to creatively explore, learn and understand different faiths and beliefs.
Project In Progress
King David Primary School is an Orthodox Jewish Primary School in Birmingham with a diverse intake of around 250 pupils, most of who are of the Muslim faith. The school brings together families and promotes understanding, cooperation and harmony.Our mural project brought a colourful representation of our shared values to the playground where the whole school community gathers twice a day. The designs were inspired and created by the children and brought to life by artists. Our mural reminds us daily of the values that unite us.
Project In Progress
Tales from the Miracle Book is a collection of fun and engaging short films designed for the teaching of Religious Education in Primary Schools. Each film comes with its own downloadable resource pack filled with top quality worksheets to help unpack these memorable stories for Key Stages 1&2. Each film is made in a fun, memorable and relevant style with one actor, taking on a myriad of roles, enabling pupils to understand the message and connect the stories to their own lives today. Written and performed by Mike Peacock.
Project In Progress
Faith in our Community (FIC) is an ecumenical network of Church-related community projects. FIC was set up in 2007 to support Churches to establish community development projects within some of the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods across the North-East of England. Most of these communities face a wide range of challenges, including barriers to opportunity, personal growth and flourishing. FIC supports projects to bring their local communities together through clear identification of local need, tackling issues such as social isolation, limited opportunities, poor mental and physical health, child poverty, inadequate living conditions, crime and disengaged young people.
Project In Progress
The Changed Hearts Programme works with vulnerable young people in Wolverhampton. We provide a range of creative and arts sessions as a part of an afterschool and holiday provision.Our service targets some of the hardest-to-engage young people from across the city from a range of complex backgrounds or with complex needs. Our aim is to provide a safe space of belonging where young people can express themselves, improve confidence and build friendships.
Project In Progress
Empowering Voices, Exploring WorldviewsEmpowering Voices builds on our previous work by providing opportunities for young people in Lincolnshire (where less than 3 in 100 people are BAME) and beyond, to expand their understanding of religious worldviews. It captures and explores England’s rich religious and cultural diversity by working with different worldviews and empowering unheard voices to share their stories.
The project will provide an audio resource that draws on storytelling, conversation and immersive soundscapes. It is researched, written and produced by communities and young people working with professional artists.
Project In Progress
The 2020 RISING Global Peace ForumThe 2020 RISING Global Peace Forum was, because of COVID restrictions, a completely online event. More than 250 delegates from around the world joined us to discuss how a ‘Culture of Peace’ can be built by respect for human rights, democratic participation, cultural identity, the free flow of information, national identity and our response to the climate change emergency.
Project In Progress
Please believe these days will passThe annual Lent Art Installation at Southwark Cathedral is about giving people new access points to the Cathedral, through an exploration of unconventional materials and mediums. The delayed 2021 installation was entitled “Please Believe These Days Will Pass”, and saw artist Mark Titchner work with digital prints to provoke reflection on where we are in 2021 over a year after the Covid-19 pandemic began.
Project In Progress
‘Hands On’ Mental Health RetreatsRecreate are offering art and craft session to refugees designed to enhance feelings of wellbeing: aiming to enable a sense of connection and familiarity with the fabric and materials of daily life with an ability to process both their lives in the UK, and the stories they carry with them.
We aim to have a final exhibition promoting understanding of refugees lives to the wider public. Recreate exists to offer creative retreats to those who would not otherwise be able to access such a service. We aim to improve participant wellbeing – body, mind, a soul through art, medication and reflection.
Project In Progress
Early InterventionWesthill Endowment’s grant will allow TLG to open 15 new Early Intervention centres across the UK in 2021/22, enabling 75 children to receive one-to-one support. This provision will be vital in combating the adverse effects of multiple COVID-19 lockdowns on child development and wellbeing.
Early Intervention works by matching struggling children with a trained volunteer coach from the local church, who supports them through difficulties they are facing, lets them know someone cares and encourages them to reengage with their education.”
Project In Progress
Schools Welcome! Building pupil’s knowledge, understanding and tolerance of different faiths in Tameside.Schools Welcome! is enabling pupils in Tameside and neighbouring areas to deepen their understanding of faiths and beliefs through educational, first hand encounters with communities and people of faith, in places of worship, online, or through visits to schools.
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Nottinghamshire SACREOur Nottinghamshire innovative, local, and unique project is about enabling young people to discover the impact which faith can have on the local community from looking at diverse approaches to implementing key beliefs.
The project will support our recently produced New Agreed Syllabus in the City and Country for RE. Through this project some young people in years 5 or 6 would be able to discover at first hand the impact which faiths can have on the local diverse community through the implementation of key beliefs. This would, in turn, provide a resource that would potentially support all schools across the County as the work produced is disseminated.
Project In Progress
Knockbreda Community Garden aims to be a Haven of Beauty. It has been designed to enrich the lives of our local community. It will produce organic fruit, flowers and vegetables and be a beautiful garden where people can find peace and tranquillity.The project will stimulate all who visit and naturally grow volunteers from all aspects of our community. Knockbreda Community Garden will be the centre of the area and a place where people can meet and find the harmony of God’s love.
Project In Progress
Interfaith Interviews for SchoolsWe plan to organise an interfaith dialogue ‘interviews’ between Bromley SACRE* area members with our pupils, based on some of the enquiry questions identified from our Syllabus Supplementary materials. These will be recorded so they can later be used as a film resource in schools. Our aims include to increase knowledge and understanding of different faith views, and to provide resources to support teachers.
More information can be found on our page. (*Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education.
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Emotional Wellbeing SupportThe Covid-19 crisis highlighted the scale of mental health issues in our community. In response, we launched the Emotional Wellbeing Service to help those struggling with stress, anxiety and depression. Using a Cognitive Behaviour Therapy based approach, we give people the tools they need to maintain good mental health. We also run group music sessions so those suffering with mental health issues can receive per support in a safe and friendly environment.
Project In Progress
During the Covid-19 Pandemic many interfaith dialogue meetings were held on-line. This was a new phenomenon and one that is likely to continue into the future. The research we are undertaking for this project analyses the experience of running and participating in these events and will produce academic reflection and practical research to help others in this work.
Project In Progress
Liverpool PassionIn living memory there has never been a large outdoor Passion Play in Liverpool city centre. We are going to change that. In Another Place are known for the award winning Alice Experience and Narnia Experience in St Georges Hall and they plan, in 2022, to bring to Liverpool a live retelling of the Easter Story, performed by Liverpool People for Liverpool People.
Project In Progress
Passion for the PlanetDamn Cheek CIC and Gateshead Deanery’s Passion for the Planet is a multifaith community-centred theatre project. Schools and community groups will explore creations tries and what they might teach us about caring for the planet, with activities throughout May/June 21 including invitations to explore and develop their own creativity and skills by creating content for the production.
The project culminates in a two-week run of a specifically commissioned site specific production at Christ Church, Felling, into which the community work and the faith stories are interwoven and in which the audience play an active role. All in a Covid-secure environment!
Project In Progress
Journey Through Art“Pop In – Drop In” is a community project based in Birmingham. The peer-led group are planning a project titled ‘A Journey Through Art’ which will utilise the creativity of artists who use art as a therapeutic tool for mental health. The artists will work closely with participants to work towards improving community, spirituality and mental health. Gallery visits and exhibitions will also enhance the experience.
Project In Progress
The Faith Guiding CourseThe Faith Guiding Course is for those wishing to be trained to lead high-quality educational visits to places of worship. The Faith Encounter Programme has extensive knowledge of the faith sector and involvement with a wide range of faith-inspired organisations which has helped them to successfully engage collaboratively with diverse faith communities in Birmingham, the Midlands and further afield.
Their aims include offering customised courses in Faith Guiding to train Guides of all faiths to receive visitors with confidence and openness at their places of worship in the Midlands Region.
Project In Progress
The Road to EasterHavant Passion Play Limited (HPP) has been a registered Company and Charity since January 2013. Our aim is to bring the Word of God to a wider audience through the medium of drama.
The three productions we have done so far have all been performed in the open air but in 2020 and 2021 we have had to find new ways of working. For Holy Week 2021, we produced an online event called ‘The Road to Easter’.
The first trailer went out on 19th March 2021 followed by films shown each day from Palm Sunday until Easter Sunday inclusive. Please read our webpage to find out more about us and our project.
Project In Progress
BDCA 2020 Impact FilmBonny Down Community Association has been transforming our area within the London Borough of Newham since 1998. Over the past two decades, we have renovated our previously dead derelict spaces into lively local hubs.
Despite the pandemic, our diverse team continued to run adapted support services from our restored venues including accessible sports, elders activities, family support, youth clubs healthy food poverty relief and volunteering programme. Newham was sadly the worst hit place in terms of death rate during the first wave but we made this film to celebrate the incredible ways our neighbours supported each other.
Project In Progress
Fischy Music in partnership with REToday are developing a new package of ten songs and twenty lessons that meet the needs primary schools know pupils have after the virus, and promote great RE. We will use seven themes: Creation, the People of God, what Jesus did and said, Jesus’s death and new life, the Christian community, living well, hope for the future. This will be made available as an online package for schools using the best ideas of RE Today and Fischy Music to promote spiritual wellbeing and growth for pupils.
Project In Progress
Refugee Youth LeadershipRefugee Support Network’s values-based Youth Leadership Course encourages young refugees to be leaders in their spheres of influence and helps them grow to realise their own uniqueness, goodness and resilience.
The course creates space for young people to discuss, reflect and frame their life experiences in a nurturing and encouraging environment. By taking part in the leadership course young people are equipped with the confidence to lead, and play their part in social and personal transformation.
Project In Progress
RE CPD Understanding the heart of living faithsLiverpool Community Spirit will deliver a 3D programme of Religious Education CPD, offering teachers Deeper learning, Deeper Experiencing and Deeper Understanding of 6 faiths: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism. The programme will draw on Community Spirit’s pioneering personal encounters methodologies in which participants meet local faith practitioners in the homely setting of LCD’s pioneering Faith Home Living Rooms.
They will also share their tried and tested experience of how to effectively use artefacts and faith centre visits. This CPD programme enables teachers to understand the key concepts underlying those faiths as lived out in the community.
Project In Progress
Treasure TrailsThousands of people have attended our treasure trails at Hull Community Church, and this funding allows us to extend those by bringing the Narnia Trail to other churches, and creating a new Rainbow Trail.
The Narnia Trail, which has been visited to date by 8,000 people, explores the themes of temptation, betrayal, trust, redemption and faith through a hands-on, interactive experience from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The new Rainbow Trail is for the lead-up to Pride with the theme of being “wonderfully and colourfully made” – exploring families of all kinds, through colour and art.
Project In Progress
In Autumn 2020 with the support of Westhill Endowment we have undertaken a schools and communities project called ‘Light of Hope’. 140 schools have now taken part which is the largest number we have ever worked with on a schools art project. Children were able to make a creative response to the pandemic, to express what they might be feeling.Our Artist-in-Residence, Peter Walker, also created a spectacular art installation at the Cathedral, his own ‘light of hope’ to tie in with the project. Please read on.
Project In Progress
The platform project is an annual 12-month programme for disadvantaged young people ages 5-16 from deprived areas, who lack access and opportunities in arts due to social, economic and cultural barriers.Participants of the project will receive weekly industry standard training and faith-based dance, drama, music and media. In addition to bible-based life skills and coaching, participants will get the opportunity to participate in four performing arts events and projects throughout the year.
Project In Progress
Hope Therapeutic GardenAt Hope Therapeutic Garden, which met weekly in Sparkbrook, we have always strived to give members a sense of belonging and feeling loved. Many have suffered trauma in their lives or have insecure social and financial situations. During the lockdown we are trying to keep in contact with members in new innovative ways . We have been making deliveries to members to enable 'Growing at Home' and also have begun a programme of Walking in the Park' visiting local parks to learn plant ID and foraging skills – please look at our page for more information.
Project In Progress
National RE Curriculum SymposiumThe National RE curriculum symposium will productively address RE curriculum design issues, such as RE beyond pedagogy and resources, considering the role of religion and world views plays in the local community and society as a whole, contributing to community cohesion. As a result of the symposium, a number of resources will be made available on the NATRE website for use by RE teachers and other professionals.
Project In Progress
PARABLE"Parable" is a dance theatre production and integrated workshop programme that provides schools with visually exciting and imaginative ways to boost children's engagement with R.E.
Image credit Claremont Photography
Project In Progress
The Noise Arts FestivalThe Noise Arts Festival is organised by the local church for its surrounding community. Working with people of all ages and backgrounds, seeking to create interaction between the church and the community. The festival uses the arts, including comedy, music, dance, drama and family focused events to create a place to engage.
2020 has been a challenging year, our Easter Programme was cancelled and with October event constantly changing in light of the pandemic restrictions, we decided to go ahead with a massively changed programme.
Project In Progress
Places of Welcome 5th Anniversary: Celebrating Welcome, Friendship and CommunityPlaces of Welcome is a network of grassroots community and faith groups offering welcome, hospitality and friendship. The network started in Birmingham and to celebrate its 5th Birthday we invited all of the Places of Welcome in Birmingham, Solihull and Sandwell (around 85 groups), to create a collective art installation that celebrates welcome and hospitality and the value of community and relationships.
Just over 75 Places of Welcome chose to take part in creating the art installation and each created an individual art panel which was then brought together to create one collective piece called ‘Our Place of Welcome’. This was launched at our birthday celebration event on the 27th February 2020, where over 170 people gathered to celebrate in St Martin in the Bull Ring Church.
Project In Progress
LIVEThe LIVE Project is a PSHE (Personal and Social Health Education) based programme that will be offered to Secondary Schools within the borough of Sutton with particular focus on students' SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural) development. We have a range of interactive and age-appropriate workshops that cover a breadth of topics. Some of these include; self-esteem, bullying and staying safe online, and stress and pressure. Our aims for these workshops are to allow you to dive deeper into these topics whilst strengthening equipping and supporting them through their adolescent years.
Project In Progress
Making Links with UniversitiesTheology and Religious Studies-UK (TRS-UK) is an organisation that supports academics and teachers of Theology and Religious Studies working in institutes of higher education. The Making Links with Universities project involves a collaboration between TRS-UK and the National Association of Teachers of Religious Education (NATRE).
The aim of the project is to foster networks between Higher Education Theology and Religious Studies departments and their local Religious Education (RE) teachers by providing access to up-to-date information not only about degree programmes in Theology and Religious Studies, but also about the activities and support university departments offer to schools.
Project In Progress
RE-Live is a project to engage teachers in a mix of rural and urban areas in producing a series of model lesson plans for RE; making use of examples from a contemporary world. Viewing such experiences and events through the lens of 'Big Ideas' ensures that matters of religion and belief are the focus of learning.
Project In Progress
This project has been put together as part of a strategic approach to help develop Dementia Friendly Churches across the UK. There are 850,000 people with dementia in the UK, with numbers set to rise to over 1 million by 2025. This means that the church, whatever its context or denomination, is going to see more and more cases of people in their congregations developing this illness. As church leaders come into contact with those with dementia we want to ensure that they have the tools and knowledge to continue to support and love those with dementia.
Project In Progress
WIRE Award: Widening Inclusivity in Religious EducationThe WIRE Award is an initiative of Bristol and South Gloucestershire SACRE. Its aims to encourage schools to take pupils to places of worship in the local area that is not the main religion within the school. We know that encountering believers really opens pupils eyes to faith and helps to improve understanding and tolerance. In addition, schools will put on events for parents to showcase what pupils have learnt about faith in their local area.
Project In Progress
GAME CHANGERSBirmingham Game Changers is an innovative, year-long programme run by The Feast. The programme will be run in schools and support diverse groups of young people to become more confident in their own identity and beliefs, build friendships with peers from different faiths, cultures and backgrounds through honest and respectful dialogue, and to become part of a city-wide generation of game changers committed to growing peace and overcoming social division across Birmingham.
Project In Progress
Sparkfish Christmas and Easter ExperiencesThe Christmas Journey is an interactive retelling of the Nativity Story for year 2 pupils, and the Easter Experience is a dramatic presentation of Holy Week and Easter for Year 5 pupils. Around 800 children attended each with over 60 volunteers from local churches involved.
Project In Progress
RE Awareness Course PilotRE Today Services is piloting an RE Awareness course that will be designed and written to work with Headteachers, Governors or SLT with responsibility for curriculum, with the aim to open up their thinking about the need to take RE seriously in their schools and its impact.
Initially, it will target schools identified as requiring support through their Ofsted reports or non-compliant schools to help change the understanding of and provision of RE within schools. It will be a 3-hour course that will include a trainer, course materials, a book / online template policy documents and curriculum development.
Project In Progress
Edinburgh Passion 2020The Edinburgh Passion 2020 will tell the story of Easter through an ambitious creative, cultural and artistic showcase spanning different areas in the city. We will be telling the Easter story in "real time", starting on the Thursday night and going all the way through until the Sunday morning with different community groups across the city taking 1 hour each. There will be diverse groups telling the story for 63 consecutive hours. There are a number of groups signed up including homeless groups, different churches, refugees etc.
Project In Progress
Just Festival has been an important part of the Fringe for many years – 2020 being our 20th anniversary. Despite the strange and unusual circumstances of 2020 we decided to carry on and rethink our programme in a way that would best maintain the unique spirit of the Just Festival, and create the space for people to gather online to discuss those issues that most affect our lives today with our fantastic range of eclectic and expert panellists.
Project In Progress
Pause for Thought‘Pause for Thought’ provides free resources for teachers, parents, clergy or others leading collective worship, providing a moment of daily reflection for students. Pause for Thought was rapidly developed during Lockdown to support the mental health and emotional wellbeing of primary and secondary students, building on the well-established and popular Assemblies website www.assemblies.org.uk.
It aimed to create easy to use shorter sessions addressing current issues including isolation, fear, change and loneliness. The resources are used by a wide variety of schools and are available to people of all faiths and none.
Project In Progress
Cockfield’s Glebe GardenThis project aims to work with children, young people, families and older people to bring together the community to improve the church garden back into a venue that can be enjoyed by all of the community. The garden will be somewhere the community can come together to improve the space, reduce isolation through the process of improving it, and create a safe space outdoors for the isolation of all to be reduced in the future.
Through the gardening work and intergenerational elements of this project we will see a younger generation learning about gardening and interactions between generations that have spent their lives in Cockfield.
Project In Progress
Cork 3FF Interfaith InformationCork Three Faiths Forum are producing Interfaith information leaflets to help us learn more about each other's faiths.
Project In Progress
School Visits to Places of Worship in BirminghamThe Arts Society Birmingham (TASB) is leading a project in collaboration with Paul Davies of VYKA, a film company, and the Faith Encounter Programme, to enable school groups to make virtual visits to places of worship to promote respect, empathy and understanding.
Illustrated guides are being designed for children ( Key Stages 2 and 3) together with a teachers’ resource pack of follow up activities encouraging active, memorable interfaith education through the arts. The materials are designed to be compatible with the Agreed Syllabus and we are liaising with other Faith organisations.
One of the objectives is to extend the project to the West Midlands and other multi faith cities in the UK.
Project In Progress
Celebrating DiversityThis project seeks to give a local SACRE the ability to try out some action research for teachers and pupils around subject knowledge enrichment in religious education (RE). In Barking and Dagenham, we have been developing a new RE syllabus over the last two years and have seen the need to provide opportunities for pupils to come together, meet local faith leaders and adherents (something new to our syllabus) to deeper their knowledge and understanding of religion and worldviews.
We hope the teacher CPD opportunities and the pupil conferences we this run between February-July 2021 will provide this.
Project In Progress
Amal at GreenbeltThis project was an ambitious strand of programming planned for Greenbelt 2020. The project sought to platform a diverse rage of Muslim artistry and thought at the heart of a long-established, progressive Christian arts festival.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic across the world these plans have had to change. Please read on to find out more.
Project In Progress
Real People, Real FaithWhat do believers really think? How can teachers share the diversity of opinion easily in class?
Using questions from the Pan-Berkshire syllabus such as: “Why are religious celebrations important to some people?” and “To what extent do religious beliefs encourage good behaviour?” this series of short filmed interviews gives a range of voices from a variety of religious backgrounds the opportunity to express their opinions.
Made on location across Berkshire each interview is set against the background of an appropriate place of worship. Additional material will be available to help teachers use these films in class.
Project In Progress
Angels of StonegroveAngels of Stonegrove is an arts project based on bringing people together to nourish their creativity through a focus on angels. With the help of St. Peter’s Church we established and strengthened relationships across generational, ethnic and class borders by offering of free, regular art workshops which serve as a venue for learning new things, resulting in artworks that have become part of a semi-permanent display at our home in the OneStonegrove joint community and church centre.
Originally conceived for face-to-face contact, the project migrated to zoom due to COVID but we aim to relaunch live when we can.
Project In Progress
Grace Enterprises is an organisation in Nottingham that reduces poverty and empowers individuals who ordinarily struggle to find and keep work. It does this through creating jobs and supporting individuals 1:1.We employ people who may for example have been in prison, suffered domestic abuse, been homeless, or struggled with addiction. We pay the Real Living Wage and mentor and support individuals 1:1 so they can maintain their employment - with remarkable results. The way we do this is through our trading arm, a cleaning business, called Radiant Cleaners.
Project In Progress
Keynsham Girl’s Brigade plan to study environmental issues that affect the world and its population. They plan to investigate ways to reduce these and relate their study to the Christian idea of Stewardship. They will examine local issues and include local people, They will produce a display highlighting local areas of environmental concern and discuss how everyone can make Keynsham a better place to live.
Project In Progress
At A Loss has three aims: to provide ACCESSIBLE support for all wo have suffered significant loss; to help BRIDGE the gap in existing services by signposting and to change the CULTURE around bereavement support.
Project In Progress
The Upper Room Homework Church is made up of 175+ Iranian, Kurdish and Afghan asylum seekers and refugees. Our unique church come with many challenges - spiritually and practically. Many parents (often single mothers) have fled persecution and are trying to raise their children in a new culture and while learning a new language.The challenge of parenting overwhelms them and yet they also have deep questions about faith or their new Christian faith, and this takes time to disciple them. Our weekly Refugee Homework Club addresses the practical needs of families through activities based on their children's learning.
Project In Progress
A Covid ResponseThe mission of St Martin’s Centre for Health and Healing is to support vulnerable people and as a Covid-response we have recently launched a new service delivering Situational Counselling and Psychological Wellbeing support.
Project In Progress
Brand new for 2021, RISE Theatre will be touring an exciting new interactive day for whole primary schools to participate in. Join us on a breath-taking journey of discovery around the earth and into space, learning about the beauty of God's creation, His incredible love for every person, and how each of us can care for our planet and the environment. The day features Covid-safe interactive sessions, arts activities, and an exhilarating afternoon show for all ages.
Project In Progress
In 2018 the Bullying and Belief project created a number of 2-5-minute films that can be used in RE, PSHE or citizenship lessons at primary and secondary schools, which investigate stories of those who have suffered from religious bullying in Newham, asking pupils to consider issues.The students then went on to design lesson resources to support these films and Newham's RE adviser is now going on to write a toolkit ready for busy teachers to use and be able to investigate this type of bullying.
Project In Progress
PCN is pleased to announce the launch in the spring of 2020 of six short films which challenge what religious faith has to say to people in our contemporary society. Each film is a personal story and brings alive issues to do with sex and sexuality, with interfaith relationships, with climate change, poverty and other matters which are at the heart of today's world and people's lives.
Project In Progress
Raising Up Local LeadersRaising Up Local Leaders: 14 million people in the UK are living in poverty. In many disadvantaged communities, money is tight, stress is high and opportunities hard to find. Though the local church has made many efforts to contribute to social action, many people in disadvantaged communities are not being reached with the gospel.
With our training and resources, leaders are being equipped to identify the needs in their community, develop a strategy relevant to their context, and deliver projects that support the holistic wellbeing of the communities around them.
Project In Progress
CHAIYA ART AWARDThe biennial Chaiya Art Awards is the UK’s leading awards exploring spirituality and faith through the visual arts, with a top prize of £10,000.
This competition has its roots in Christianity but it is about engaging with people of all faiths; those who have no belief in God and everyone in between, giving people the opportunity to explore and experience God through art.
Each theme based award culminates in a thought-provoking exhibition displaying 40-60 artists’ work. We look to uncover, promote and reward gifted artists in different mediums including painting, drawing, sculpture, textiles, ceramics, photography and video, who express their creativity in response to the given theme.
Project In Progress
A Passion for Cheadle” will take place on Saturday, 4th April 2020. This community-based performance of gospel for Cheadle is firmly rooted in our faith and it has been in our prayers for a number of years. Passion plays have the ability to promote dialogue and inspire new relationships between people of differing faiths and none, and are an opportunity for exploration and mutual understanding.It will be a community coming together for a shared experience which lasts long in the memory after the event. Singers, dancers, actors, stewards, who might not normally come into contact with each other will work together in their shared vision for an expected audience of 2,000 people.
Project In Progress
We want to better engage with marginalised faith and BAME communities who do not currently access our hospice services. We want to break down barriers so that religion, culture, ethnicity, language, faith, sexual orientation, age and wealth are never obstacles to accessing the care and support we offer.We will work directly with local faith and community leaders, to understand how we can better serve the people they represent and we will raise awareness of St Clare Hospice within these communities – so that many more people know who we are, what we do and how we can help them.
Project In Progress
Engage! Youth Mentoring.Engage! Youth Mentoring (formerly Lichfield Community Mentoring) facilitates the recruitment, training, placement and supervision of mentors in local primary and secondary schools in Lichfield. Mentors aim to build self-esteem, confidence and aspirations through a weekly one-to-one positive relationship with students referred to us in school. Many of the students are struggling but would not otherwise be seen, having fallen through the gaps between available school resources and overwhelmed professional agencies. Not only the children and schools benefit but we also find that the mentors themselves get a lot out of investing in their local community.
Westhill's commitment to us has enabled us to expand our volunteer base meaning we can collectively see more children in Lichfield. Moving into 2021, despite the set-backs that everyone has faced, we are in a good position to keep moving ahead with the project.
Project In Progress
The Story Tent project brings together the theoretical findings that came out of a recently completed PhD carried out at Warwick Religious Education Research Unit (WRERU) and the practical experience of the Rose Castle Foundation (RCF), a hub for Scriptural Reasoning (SR) in the UK and internationally.SR focuses on developing an understanding of religion, as experienced by faith participants through shared dialogue around sacred texts. It is a practice where people of different faith traditions come together to share their sacred texts in an environment of mutual trust and respect.
Project In Progress
Mental Health Training for faith Based PersonnelChapter – an expert in the field of mental wellbeing – is providing Mental Health First Aid training to 30 faith leaders from across North West of England, in order for them to better support their communities.
Project In Progress
RE:SOLVEBritish Youth for Christ have developed the RE:QUEST website; an online delivery of RE teaching resources on the beliefs and practices of Christianity, alongside issues that they face. It is a free resource, accessed by RE teachers, PGCE students and young people around the world.
The site caters for all key stages, from KS1 to A level. RE:SOLVE, supported by Westhill, is one of the 5 focused modules within this and is produced for KS4 and KS5 (GCSE and A Level) students and teachers. The unique aspect of the RE:QUEST material is the variety of the content formats. From Bible texts, questionnaires, interviews, video streaming and interactive games, BYFC continually strive to remain innovative in their delivery of high-quality, authentic and relevant content.
Project In Progress
Faith in Our Community work in twelve of the most deprived communities in North East England where local people struggle with unemployment, poverty and poor health. Despite being disadvantaged in many ways, people are resilient. Residents are concerned for one another and there is a good community spirit.We have twelve projects where local churches work together to support their communities, for example, supporting older people, young families and people who have no work, and improving the local environment. Please look through this webpage for brief information about our projects. We would love to hear from you if you want to know more.
Dying Matters: During May 2019 South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust took a free loan of Westhill’s exhibition Bald Statements which was displayed in The Health and Wellbeing Café of Stratford Hospital as part of their Dying Matters week.
Project In Progress
“A Question of Faith” is a project by Southampton City Mission Schools. Religious Education (RE) is a curriculum subject unlike any other. It is not like Maths, Science or Literacy; RE is a question of Faith. As such, many schools struggle to meet the legal requirements for teaching RE, often resulting in the majority of pupils being without sufficient support to develop their own coherent patterns of values, principle, and spiritual formation framework.This project aims to close that gap by providing every child in Primary Education the opportunity to experience A Question of Faith RE day in each of their academic years (R-6) across Southampton region, and beyond; wherever requested.
Project In Progress
Training Schools WorkersOur Training Programme project aims to train and develop young people to teach RE, PSE & PE in schools at Key Stage 2 level of the National Curriculum without needing candidates to have acquired a degree and a PGCE teaching qualification.
It up-skills young people with credible coursework-based teaching qualifications at QCF Levels 3 & 4 along with other essential certificates, all whilst developing their confidence, class-control, presence, charisma and leadership qualities to empower them to become excellent deliverers of RE, PSE & PE - particularly RE with a Christianity emphasis the dominant part of Key Stage 2 RE.
Project In Progress
RISING promotes new ways to provoke dialogue around peace. RISING is a three way partnership between The Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations (Coventry University), Coventry City Council and Coventry Cathedral.We deliver regular lectures and symposia and have a strong online presence for discussion of current world peace issues.
RISING culminates in an annual Global Peace Forum, held in Coventry. Through a combination of key note speeches from high calibre speakers, seminars and workshops, RISING Global Peace Forum provides an excellent opportunity for dialogue and exchanging ideas on peace.
Project In Progress
Our aim is to enhance our presence in communities that never or rarely utilise our palliative care services, despite needing our support. This initiative will see Birmingham St Mary’s develop targeted service strategies to support individuals with life-limiting illness from diverse and marginalised groups in Birmingham and Sandwell.This work will help dispel myths about hospice care in communities it’s low referral rates, through the promotion of our equality and diversity practices.
Project In Progress
This project was launched in response to a growing number of local RE leads asking for support with their RE Subject Knowledge across the board. We also know they received, on average, 3 hours of RE whilst engaged in Initial Teacher Training. We have devised a programme that makes use of local places of worship and SACRE members in 'expert' roles to provide a tour, talk, and Q&A's based on their faith tradition. Sessions are filmed to provide digital Continuous Professional Development for teacher back in school, increasing the reach of the project further.Our first year has focused on Sikhism, Islam and Judaism and we plan to cover Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism and Humanism in a planned second year of the programme. We hope this supports our local RE teachers' subject knowledge effectively.
Project In Progress
Newbigin School for Urban LeadershipUrban Change Makers (UCM) is a new emerging leaders program that focuses on working class leadership development from within urban priority areas. UCM is initiated by Newbigin School for Urban Leadership and Worth Unlimited in conjunction with local hubs who nominate and send small teams of emerging leaders to the 10 month program that includes 3 week-end residentials, coaching, best practice site visits, an investors panel and a graduation/induction.
Project In Progress
Leadership on a JourneyThe Museum of Methodism at Wesley’s Chapel in London is curating an exhibition in conjunction with the national Church that will showcase, through objects and stories, the influence of Black British, Asian and British global diaspora leaders on Methodism.
Explaining the aims of the exhibition, the Revd Dr Jennifer Smith, Superintendent Minister of Wesley’s Chapel & Leysian Mission, said: “Our responsibility as a Museum is to give all of us a fuller sense of history to help us navigate the future. This is heritage as mission, and deeply about forming and re-forming Methodist identity to resource our mission today.”
Project In Progress
The Emmanuel School of Drama exists to enable children to explore and express their Christian faith, giving voice to what is most important to them with courage, creativity and conviction. Our desire is to partner with creative communities in Oxford, generously and graciously engaging in dialogue and giving voice to the Christian faith in these settings. In this way we hope to promote a pattern of positive Christian engagement in the arts and other areas of contemporary culture.
Project In Progress
Supporting Chaplains of Higher Education SettingsThe need to support chaplains has become more urgent as universities face increasing challenges. Chaplains, who are used to working face-to-face with students and staff of all faiths and beliefs, are having to find new ways of engaging with their communities.
We aim to provide support for HE chaplains by enabling networking and building relationships, offering regular opportunities for discussion, and providing high-quality input for theological and practical development through a series of webinars. Whilst our focus is on supporting Free Church chaplains, we operate an open-door policy, where any chaplains or those working in a chaplaincy-related role, are welcome.
Project In Progress
Holy Ground is an exciting and creative three-day experience in partnership with Art and Christianity using the iconic Bloomsbury Group Murals within the church building, and drawing on its stunning location, nestled within the South Downs to explore the relationships between art, faith, and the environment.Using these themes as a bridge we will connect with the wider community encouraging exploration of faith, reflective traditions, and pilgrimage as practices to support well-being and offering new ways for a wider audience base to engage with the life of the church and its ministry.
Project In Progress
Pattern Up: Promoting Haringey Communities Against ViolencePATTERN UP is a community play exploring themes of racism, youth violence and families in Tottenham’s African Caribbean community. It is performed by, and based on, the lives of Tottenham community activists, Ken Hinds and June Tuitt. Its first run (Arts Council England and Westhill funded) proved to be a powerful vehicle for engaging people in intergenerational dialogue and exploring solutions.
Building on its impact and outcomes, we are developing the play further, in particular to promote Haringey Communities Against Violence, a grass roots voluntary organisation founded by Ken and June and other local people in Haringey.
Project In Progress
Shepherds Crook Puppet Theatre is one of the participating initiatives of the Lichfield Christian Schools Work Trust. It is an ongoing project which seeks to promote religious knowledge in an interesting and lively way, for the whole primary school age range, through the dramatic imagining and retelling of bible stories using the medium of puppetry.
Project In Progress
#FLATPACK CHRISTMASGrace Church Stirchley is an independent evangelical church in South Birmingham whose main aim is to help people love Jesus. Usually at Christmas time we have a number of well-established events that reach out to the local community.
This Christmas we saw Birmingham under Tier 3 of the government’s local restrictions, which significantly impacted how we could interact with people around us. We created this craft activity that would be a fun way for children to learn about the birth of Jesus in place of our usual Nativity Trail. Children were able to transform 2 flat sheets of card into their very own 3D nativity scene, as well as engaging with other parts of our Christmas celebrations.
Project In Progress
ROUNDEDROUNDED is a spiritual, moral, social and cultural development resource for use with 16-19s in FE and 6th for Colleges. Six ROUNDED session explore key ethical topics through a central story / resource and a suite of introductory and follow up activities.
ROUNDED is partly inspired by the Birmingham Agreed Syllabus for RE, ROUNDED is written by Simeon Whiting and commissioned by the West Midlands Churches Further Education Council.
Project In Progress
God and the Big Bang (GatBB) is a national education project which runs interactive workshop days with students from Year 5 – 13 to discover, discuss and debate the compatibility of science and faith. The workshops equip young people with the tools they need to form their own opinions and engage in rational and thought-provoking discussion about the part science plays in God’s world.
Project In Progress
Community Spirit is Performances Birmingham, Limited’s annual mass singing programme that aims to bring 500 community choir members of all ages, abilities and backgrounds together in Symphony Hall through their joy of community singing, championing the people in this region and giving performance opportunities to all.Community Spirit enables and supports a diverse range of community choirs based in Birmingham and the West Midlands and gives them the platform to sing as one. The positive effects of singing are well known, reducing social isolation, nurturing confidence and self-worth and encouraging the development of additional and transferable skills.
Project In Progress
The Bromley Religious Education Calendar is a celebration of Religious Education teaching and learning in our schools as well as the cultural and religious diversity in Bromley. All the artwork in this calendar is provided through a borough wide school competition and includes dates of upcoming religious festivals and secular commemorations, which schools can use in the planning of collective worship and to support their pupils spiritual, moral social and cultural development beyond the Religious Education classroom.
Project In Progress
Many people want to pray but don’t know how or where to begin. Discovering Prayer provides education and training in prayer to help people develop a joyful, fulfilling relationship with God.Drawing on a rich heritage of Christian monastic wisdom, we create accessible guided audio prayer times that are rooted in Bible passages and soaked in prayer. Our new interactive online prayer course, Rhythm of Grace, will invite people into a gentle rhythm of morning and evening prayer. Free and open to all, it is designed to help people find peace, comfort and strength in turbulent times.
Project In Progress
‘VAT in RE’ Curriculum Project 2020‘VAT in RE’ is a project that intends to boost the skills and confidence of RE Coordinators and Teachers to develop and implement a Medium-Term Curriculum Plan that will impact on the quality of RE delivery in their classroom.
The project will provide a series of training events, workshops and writing group sessions that will introduce RE participants to the idea of ‘VAT’ in Religious Education: Vocabulary (Etymology), Artefacts and Texts (stories). The workshops will include a close working relationship with members of the richly diverse local faith groups represented on the SACRE in Barnet.
Project In Progress
C2C GrowsC2C Social Action is a Northamptonshire based Christian Charity that offers a range of support to individuals at any stage of the Criminal Justice System by inspiring and motivating them to take personal responsibility for their behaviour, in order to reduce re-offending.
In September 2020, C2C Social Action acquired a fantastic allotment plot and set up a project called C2C Grows. The project is run by a newly recruited Outdoor Learning Support Worker and offers horticultural activities to male and female service users.
Project In Progress
Signposting: Supporting teachers with RE subject knowledgeThis project was launched by Warwickshire SACRE back in Autumn 2019 in response to a growing number of local RE leads asking for support with their RE Subject Knowledge across the board. We also know they received, on average, 3 hours of RE whilst engaged in Initial Teacher Training.
We have devised a programme that makes use of local places of worship and SACRE members in 'expert' roles to provide a tour, talk, and Q&A's based on their faith tradition. Sessions are filmed to provide digital Continuous Professional Development for teachers back in school, increasing the reach and impact of the project further.
Project In Progress
Minus Violence Plus PeaceThe aim of Minus Violence Plus Peace is to improve resilience amongst young people at risk or involved in life-threatening behaviour involving knives and to start creating narratives of peace with these young people affected by violence. We are working with Anti-Youth Violence on this project.
Ray Douglas is a well-established practitioner working with gangs around the country and against youth violence, particularly knives. We work within secondary schools with small groups of young people. We are seeking to stop permanent exclusion from school of young people in secondary school at risk of exclusions for aggression, violence or knife carrying.
Project In Progress
Hope – Leaves of the Tree – A Reflective MemorialFrom 5 - 31 August 2021, Worcester Cathedral will host The Leaves of the Trees, an installation of 5,000 steel ‘Hope’ leaves, as a reflective memorial to the effects of the pandemic. The installation is designed to honour those who have lost their lives, but also to allow everyone to take a moment to contemplate what we have been through and to think about loved ones.
Project In Progress
Aurora Youth and Children’s Ministry CoursesAurora is an 8-month training course for anyone involved in Youth or Children’s Ministry who are wanting to develop their ministry, volunteers or paid workers. It’ll be entering its 9th year in Sept 2022, with around 200 students having completed the course over the past 8 years or so. It’s run in partnership between Sheffield Methodist Circuit and Sheffield Diocese, with 3 Saturday sessions taking place physically in Rotherham and 8 Wednesday evening sessions on Zoom. We explore a wide range of topics, from the Values of Youth and Children’s Ministry; Theology of the Child and Young Person and more.
Project In Progress
During May 2019 Providence United Reformed Church in Derbyshire took a free loan of Westhill’s Exhibition, Living Life, a collection of paintings by Ruth Goodheir.The exhibition was displayed during their Dying Awareness week and was a focus for a reflective service of remembrance, as well as being open to the public every afternoon from 3pm – 7pm as an enrichment to the accompanying activities.
Project In Progress
Something Worth SharingDisabled people can struggle to get in - let alone join in - churches and communities. Since 2012 we've worked with the church of St Martin in the Fields, creating a space where disabled people gather to share ideas, resourcing each other and the church.
Last year's conference shared practical ideas and experience around theology and language, chnage, communication and vocaqtion. And the ideas are worth sharing 0 because access is about so much more than lifts, loos and loops. Something Worth Sharing shares whats' worked more widely - in a printed booklet, a series of launch events and in online materials freely available.
Project In Progress
Biblical Yoga ProjectBiblical Yoga is a recent development of MHA written by one of our Chaplains, Yvonne Myres, who works at Amathea Care Home in Cumbria. We plan to deliver this project through a series of events titled Worship Engagement in Later Life (WELL). The training will be open to all faith in this area.
Project In Progress
Truth be ToldTruth Be Told (TBT) is an inter-generational project that takes joy and life into residential care homes as 0-4's, their parents and residents enjoy storytelling, singing songs and being community together. With a special bag, covered in pockets and full of props, each week follows a different theme like 'transport' or 'animals' or 'colours' and each story tells of a different truth like 'I am loved' or 'I am safe' or 'I am precious'. TBT works with local churches, care homes and families to provide a creative and responsive experience for everyone, helping to promote cognition and reduce loneliness.
Project In Progress
Opened in February 2016 the Faith in Birmingham Gallery, at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, is a space for shared exploration of faith practice in the city. Since opening, the museum has been committed to developing the gallery by working with new faith groups and communities each year to diversify the stories told in the space.This project will be the third rotation of objects and stories, this year working with local African & African Caribbean communities to increase their representation in the gallery.
Project In Progress
Yet he chose mePrison Fellowship Scotland (PFS) is producing a new book called "Yet he chose me", which will be a collection of short stories, testimonies and examples of real-life stories where the PFS Ministry has impacted prisons, prisoners and their families.
This new book will be available to all Scottish prisons to encourage prisoners and their families to consider the Christian faith as a means of unlocking potential and transforming lives.
Project In Progress
‘The Word’ is Lichfield Cathedral’s first poetry competition and festival, celebrating our creativity through the form of the written word and exploring themes of ‘Awe & Wonder’ and ‘Light in our Darkness’. We will be encouraging people to reflect on the origins of the universe, human care for Earth and the sheer vastness and complexity of space, light and time in the anniversary year of the first Moon landing.This is a valuable opportunity to engage with an important anniversary but also important theological questions about creation, cosmology and care for the Earth which space travel and astronomical discoveries have stimulated.
Project In Progress
Behold the ManHavant Passion Play Limited is a charitable company limited by guarantee. Our aim is to bring the Word of God to the wider public through the medium of acting. Our first production was in August 2015 when we put on a play focusing on the Passion of Christ based on the Gospel of Luke.
In August 2017 we had our second production, "Jesus in the Park" and in August 2019 we completed our third production "Behold the Man!" The productions all take place in Havant Park and are free to all comers.
Project In Progress
The Pansycast is an informal and informative philosophy podcast supporting teachers, students and academics in philosophy. We aim to awaken fellow free-thinkers worldwide and inspire a new generation of Philosophers. Every week The Panpsycast release a new instalment of the podcasts following GCSE, A-Level, or degree level topics in Philosophy, Theology or Religious Education.Each episode provides a guide to the 'big questions' or an interview with a 'big thinker' working in those areas. We believe that everyone has a right to a free, high quality education on RE and our goal is to inspire and support all people in the study of life's great questions.
Project In Progress
Opening doors: ArtAt Haslemere Methodist Church we wanted to create a significant visual impact for visitors to our church so we commissioned an applique and embroidery from Juliet Hemmingray Church Textiles to adorn the large front wall of the church.
The textile is a work of art in its own right but we hope it will also become a focus for, and encouragement to, local artists to display their own work here and for others to develop an interest in the arts. We seek to develop the space as a venue for exhibitions and workshops. We believe the triptych will encourage conversation and action to these ends.
Project In Progress
City Youth - say no to anti-social behaviourCity Youth is helping young people (16-25) to say no to engaging in anti-social behaviour, cyber-bullying and the use of drugs and alcohol, by providing innovative ways to explore and discuss such issues in a safe, non-judgemental environment. We aim to empower young people using drama, music and words.
Project In Progress
With Full Conviction is a play which seeks to present the Christian message as one of life and experience rather than a system of belief. In the performance two people are helped to recover their lives and purpose through the intervention of a third character who brings them a message of hope through engagement with both their spiritual and practical needs.The performance challenges some attitudes about other people which are often held in both churches and society. Following each performance there will be an optional discussion around the themes of the play – forgiveness, blessing, healing and salvation – and those present will be invited to join a course which has been created by the writer of the play.
Project In Progress
Holy Week 2019 brought this unique contemporary retelling of the extraordinary Easter story of Jesus' journey to the cross and resurrection to the streets of Birmingham City Centre. With a diverse team of over 100 community actors, Saltmine Theatre Company, musicians, technicians and stewards, the Birmingham Passion play took place three times, travelling from the Bullring to the Cathedral.
Project In Progress
Due to national funding cutbacks in the UK, many community English language programmes have been reduced, leaving new immigrants and asylum seekers vulnerable and more likely to remain isolated.Christian TEFL is developing a pilot project to train Christians to teach English in their local churches, helping immigrants who don't speak English assimilate into their communities with an opportunity for gospel outreach. Initially we plan to run projects in three churches, and if successful we aim to develop further English teacher training opportunities to churches throughout the UK.
Project In Progress
Colleges of Further Education educate a higher proportion of 16-19s than school sixth forms, and are important presences in their local communities. There has been encouraging growth in the number of Further Education and Sixth Form Colleges exploring chaplaincy provision in recent years, with new or renewed chaplaincies starting in several colleges regionally. This conference aims to offer training and support to FE chaplains in the wider West Midlands region, by providing two excellent keynote speakers, sharing good practice stories and giving chaplains the opportunity to meet in local groups for mutual support and encouragement. The conference will also explore the scope for those regional clusters to continue meeting two or three times a year as a source of ongoing support.
Project In Progress
Lent Art Installation "Footfall"The annual Lent Art Installation at Southwark Cathedral is about giving people new access points to the Cathedral, through an exploration of unconventional materials and mediums. The 2019 installation is entitled "Footfall", and sees artist Alison Clarks work with printmaker's scrim fabric dyed with printer's ink to make prints taken from places in the Cathedral that have been worn by footfall (such as the altar steps and monumental stones). These prints travel from above the reredos (behind the altar) to the sanctuary floor, signalling the passage of worshippers who have travelled through the cathedral across time.
Project In Progress
Picturing IslamPicturing Islam is a fresh approach to learning about Islam through the creation of an inspirational and rich visual learning resource to support primary ans secondary teaching.
Project In Progress
Our projects seeks to encourage interfaith dialogue and awareness by uniting women of different faiths in conversation over food and art based activities.
Project In Progress
Armed Forces' Easter Camp 19Easter Camp is a 6-day holiday camp aimed at children aged 11-18 years of serving Armed Forces' personnel and those associated with the Armed Forces. Each year around 70 young people and 30 leaders come together to have fun, encourage each other, and to make new and lasting friendships that stretch beyond postings and the constraints of military life. Some come to deepen their Christian faith, others come to find it.
Project In Progress
Link 2 ChangeThe Link to Change project aims to increase participants self-efficacy to empower them to search for jobs, to prepare applications and to attend interviews. The project increases social skills, builds confidence, increases understanding of employers and teaches interview skills. This funding will help us to run a job club, train our volunteers and develop our intervention recording systems.
Project In Progress
Mentoring, School Clubs and Exam Stress SessionsCROSS Project is a school work charity working in 8 secondary schools. Our holistic wellbeing project aims to develop young people holistically through a range of activities including 1:1 and group mentoring, exam stress sessions and weekly clubs.
Through helping young people aged 11-16 to develop their self-esteem we are able to make a significant difference to their lives. Using games, discussion and activities, we support young people through the challenges they are facing, meaning that they can become more confidence in who they are and better equipped to deal with the difficulties and challenges.
Project In Progress
Creative Space: To Imagination and BeyondOur project 'Creative Space' is aimed at encouraging children to consider aspects of faith through creative and performing arts like puppetry, drama, circus skills and dance. Our project will teach children's workers, children, and young people how to use these skills and abilities and fund their imagination leads them into faith.
Project In Progress
Buried TreasureBuried Treasure is a day-long event aimed at Year 6, 7 and 8 students. Participants take the role of explorers, working in small groups facing a series of challenges and carrying out experiments to discover if the sacred texts of various religions hold some answers for the issues in the world today.
The quotations or 'gems' they uncover from direct exposure to the sacred texts will be worked in to precious artefacts to be kept in a treasure chest to be shared with others.
Project In Progress
Local Inter Faith GuideOur project is to publish a third edition of the Local Interfaith Guide to support the development and reinvigorate local interfaith groups by giving practical support, case studies and links to useful resources. The guide will enable those particularly wanting to establish groups to draw on best practice based on the experience of others.
Project In Progress
The Phoenix and the Art of ShalomWhat does the ancient Hebrew idea of shalom look like in modern day Scotland? As Rock Community Church reopened a disused community centre within one of Scotland's most deprived communities, they asked this very question.
As The Phoenix saw its doors open again in Nov 2018 there was a desire to explore what this ancient concept of wholeness and holistic peace might look like for the people of Dumbarton West. In particular, we wondered how the arts might have a part to play in bringing spiritual, relational, mental, emotional, familial wholeness. The Art of Shalom is an experiment in using the arts to celebrate and encourage life in its fullest sense.
Project In Progress
POP UK offers schools spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) learning through a vibrant singing, recording and performance project. This project helps schools to achieve personal development and welfare outcomes for every child. POP UK delivers SMSC days, Social Media days and British Values days. We're able to bring together MAT schools, strengthening positive interaction between each school. We also deliver Christmas and Easter Projects and Transition Projects. Every project involves every child.
Project In Progress
The disappearance of Eliza Grey is an entertaining full-length play exploring why people with Dementia can become invisible and how to enable them to live well. It supports the Alzheimer's Society 'Dementia Friendly Community' initiative.Using a crime drama format, this two-hander, makes use of the familiarity of a small rural church setting, and can be performed in any space. This play also connects to other issues that cause people to become invisible in society. Audiences have loved the show and provided great feedback. It easily adapts into a workshop for carers, or people living with dementia.
Project In Progress
CWAC have hosted two transition days with an RE focus looking at diversity both locally and globally. Children who participated became Agents for Diversity and completed different challenges about how they can contribute to life in a diverse world. During the year the project has also contributed to the new Agreed Syllabus as pupils have contributed their views on what core knowledge should look like.
Project In Progress
Christian Youth CampOur Flourishing Youth Club meets weekly every Sunday evening during school term. As part of the clubs annual programme, members attend a Christian Youth Camp in late July or early August. Its aim is to give our young people the opportunity to meet, socialise and participate in a variety of activities in a supportive Christian environment, and encourages them to discuss and consider the issues of importance related to their faith. This activities takes place through the medium of the Welsh language.
Project In Progress
Greenbelt FestivalsThe Grave of Dreams is an exhibition of paintings by the teenage Gazan artist, Malak Mattar. The exhibition was staged in the Tapestry Suite at Boughton House, near Kettering, as part of The Greenbelt Arts, Faith and Justice Festival - as part of building greater inter-cultural and inter-religious understanding and appreciation.
Project In Progress
This project is in the planning stages. This project aims to enable pupils from vastly different social, economic and cultural backgrounds to encounter each other, interact and communicate.Pupils will examine their own ideas and expectations of community; identity; diversity and belonging. Four key questions will form the basis of the project - Who am I? Who are we? Where do we live? How do we all live well together? Through examining similarities and differences, pupils will reflect together on how we can change negative attitudes and challenge community stereotypes.
By working on shared art work, meeting people of faith and developing ideas for other teachers to use, a toolkit will be developed.
Project In Progress
Christianity - Big QuestionsOur project aims to reach out to many different audiences via social media, websites, home viewing, faith groups, with a series of short films challenging the viewers to think about Christianity in contemporary society.
What are the big questions which the Christian faith needs to ask itself? What are the big questions in society in which Christianity seeks to address? How might our viewers be challenged to rethink their perceptions of Christianity and which might be the future for a progressive faith?
Project In Progress
The Community Participation Programme is a holistic 3 phase programme building confidence, skills and positive relationships through creative activity for local people in Sparkbrook. Each phase is designed to build on the last working towards a deeper level of engagement.The programme supports positive change by encouraging participation and interaction in a safe shared learning environment, centred around creative and fun activities. It values and promotes the skills and assests of the people in the local community by sharing cultural history and experiences. Finally, the project builds a strong and empowered community by developing the educational, practical and language skills of participants.
Project In Progress
Faith and Climate NetworkOur project aims to coordinate the development and establishment of a city region wide Faith and Climate Network. We aim to bring together people from different denominations and faiths to create a stakeholders group to support, develop and sustain the network. We will coordinate 3 faith community Faith and Climate events to inspire, educate and enable faith communities to share and take actions on climate change.
Project In Progress
With over 10,000 people permanently living on boats, many of whom are continually moving over the 2,000 mile network of the inland waterways in England and Wales, it is easy for many to be overlooked by local communities or government provision.Waterways Chaplains proactively seek out such people to offer care, support and encouragement. The Westhill grant enables 10 additional voluntary Chaplains to receive the necessary specialist training in parts of the country not yet reached by the existing 70 Chaplains, to have some 1,000 meaningful coversations with boaters on the margins of society.
Project In Progress
Music for ChangeOur project aims to engage young people of all faiths to develop their passion in music, by training them to play various instruments and developing vocal skills. We will also provide the environment for these young people to get to know each other and to work together on a specific music show, which they will present together to the community.
Project In Progress
The JourneyAn immersive, transient piece of theatre, taking the audience through the journey as imagined for Mary and Joseph frm Nazareth to Bethlehem. As we move along the audience will encounter street drama to give them a sense of the bigger picture, how the population felt at this time of great uncertainty and upheaval.
Project In Progress
This community-based collaborative project brings together participants from a range of ages, cultures, religions and experiences to help develop religious and cultural literacy in the region. Based in primary and secondary schools across Lincolnshire, the aim of the work is to challenge misconceptions and provide a safe space for encounter and positive engagement.Participants will work with playwrights, actors, technical and digital teams, subject experts and crucially, each other, to produce a series of performances exploring social and moral issues of living well together. REConnecting Lincolnshire provides and exciting opportunity to discover the richness of identity in modern Britain.
Project In Progress
Season Two of the Young Quaker PodcastThe Young Quaker Podcast is a monthly downloadable audio show that promotes young adult Quaker voices, experiences, and ministry, and works to build a supportive online community for young Friends internationally.
Building on our success from the first season (Nov ‘17 - Jun ‘18) and with the help of Westhill Endowment Trust, we are now launching a second season of 9 episodes this autumn, to continue to provide a space for young adult Friends to explore and speak about their spirituality, through a medium that is accessible to all with an internet connection.
Project In Progress
Bible Engagement in multi-faith SchoolsThis project enables thousands of primary school children, in multi-faith cities across England and Wales, to engage with Bible Stories in a sensitive, educationally acceptable style. In partnership with Birmingham City Mission, the Bible Society seeks to engage inter-faith dialogue between the Christian church and primary schools where children are from other faiths and none.
The project is building bridges between different faiths and cultures between communities. Different Christian church denominations come together to deliver Bible stories as part of collective workship in multi-faith primary schools, giving children and foundational understanding of our society's Christian heritage, enabling them to compare and contrast.
Project In Progress
A joint initiative, by the National Association of Teachers of Religious Education (NATRE) and the University of Bristol, to promote teachers professional knowledge and, understanding of how to promote community relations within RE lessons. Three university researchers and NATRE members who teach RE have developed a toolkit applying ‘Contact Theory’ to the RE setting. Developed by social psychologists, ‘Contact Theory’ promotes value in diversity and explains how individuals can interact meaningfully with their cross-group peers.Based on the findings of a Westhill-funded national survey of teachers of RE the toolkit advocates 'Encounter, Conversation and Interaction' in RE lessons and a 24 hour residential will bring together experts in this field to train a group of teachers to apply this framework to their own classroom practice and to share their new skills and awareness with others.
Project In Progress
IMAGINE PEACE: 20,000 DOVESImagine Peace: 20,00 Doves is a large-scale mass children's participation art installation at Lichfield Cathedral. Part of a year-long programme to commemorate the centenary of the 1918 Armistice, the project will see our Artist-in-Residence working with local schools to create 20,000 paper doves; the doves will then be suspended in a large-scale art installation from the ceiling of the Cathedral's nave throughout December 2018.
Participating schools receive a pack containing the materials to make doves, information about the project, and a powerpoint presentation about the themes of peace, forgiveness and reconciliation. The children will use their learning to develop and write on their dove a personal message relating to the project themes; they will also learn about the historical and religious context for the dove as a symbol of peace.
Project In Progress
St Andrews Church Rugby: The Song of CreationOur project is to commission and co-curate a high quality art work for the West Tower wall of St. Andrew's Parish Church. The project will engage and build bridges in the community through exploring the Song of Creation.
Project In Progress
The festival is organised by the local church for it's surrounding community. Working with people of all ages and backgrounds, seeking to create an interaction with the church and community. The festival uses the arts, including comedy, music, dance, drama and family focussed events help in a variety of venues to achieve this task.
Project In Progress
The Platform ProjectThe Platform Project is a 12-month Creative Arts programme provided for young people between the ages of 5-25, giving them access to professional opportunities and training in music, dance, drama and media, whilst gaining an accredited arts award qualification.
The young people will be involved in projects designed to create an atmosphere of positive influence throughout the community. We want to see young people embracing art in creative ways giving them a voice to express themselves. The young people will become stewards of their own gifts and help those in need within the community. Lastly, they will create professional high-quality entertainment which is affordable and accessible to everyone.
Project In Progress
Women of FaithThe Women of Faith project aims to give women the confidence they need to develop as leaders on a range of fields. The women are drawn from different faith communities and also includes those of no faith. They will be encouraged to build supportive relationships and continie these relationships beyond the scope of the programme by acting as peer-mentors for one another.
Project In Progress
The Panpsycast: Christianity AudiobookThe Panpsycast are developing an audiobook focusing on Christianity to support students and teachers of RS. The informal and informative style of the already highly successful podcast will be born-again into a Full A-Level Course. Complete with special guests, good humour and a detailed exploration of Christianity, The Panpsycast: Christianity Audiobook promises to be an essential and entertaining guide to Christian thought.
Project In Progress
Octave - Open for DiscussionOctave - Open for Discussion is a travelling art exhibition designed to stimulate conversations. It is hoped to help members of congregations to talk with each other more deeply and then to talk with members of their communities more deeply. Churches may use the exhibition in a variety of ways, including visits to it by local arts groups, artists, schools, colleges and more.
The exhibition can stimulate visits by groups in wider communities as a way to encourage dialogue on difficult personal subjects. The individual works, called Leap, Hear. Watch, Chill, Wait, Be, Fly and Call, are paintings which touch points of common human feeling. The exhibition is physically small enough to be uised in a variety of places and arrives with discussion materials.
Project In Progress
Children and young people have many questions about life, including the non-material world and the actively seek answers, meaning and identity. In order to assist their journey of discovery during 2017 we will run 'Prayer Spaces Weeks' in schools in Kent, in a safe, creative interactive and all-inclusive environment.It will allow students to discover their own meaning and draw their own conclusions, and also encourage respect for each other. Teachers can bring their students for a subject lesson in the prayer space and students will be invited to visit it during their breaks at lunchtime and after school. It will empower them to contribute in positive ways in school, family life and in the community.
Project In Progress
The Restart Chaplian Project provide spiritual and pastoral support to homeless prison leavers. Many men and women leaving prison face prospects of homelessness, with no family or friends to support them. On top of this, the support they recieved from trained prison chaplains is lost when they walk through the prison gates. This often leads to increased chance of being led astray. Feeling desperate and alone, the risk of returning to a life of crime and poverty is highly increased.The Restart Chaplain Project offers these people the support and companionship they need to piece their life back together. We achieved this via spiritual and pastoral care, showing individuals the way of the gospel and facilitating their connection with faith and the church community.
