Devon Faith & Belief Festival Success
Following last year’s event held at Exeter University, nearly eight hundred people visited Paignton Library recently for the eagerly-awaited Torbay return of the annual Devon Festival of Faith and Belief.
The specially-staged weekend event was held to mark National Inter Faith Week, and returned to Torbay after a 3 year absence that saw it hosted at hosted at Plymouth University in 2011 and on Exeter’s campus in 2012.
Interfaith Week 2013 provided an opportunity to increase awareness of the different and distinct communities in the UK, celebrating and building on the contribution which their members make to their neighbourhoods and to wider society. It is held to increase understanding between people of religious and non-religious beliefs.
Many different faiths were represented at the Library on the day, including Pagan, Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Humanist, Jewish, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Spiritualist and Baha’I, with many different displays present from organisations such as the Quakers, Christian Scientists, Plymouth Centre for Faiths and Cultural Diversity, Torbay Inter Faith Forum, Healthwatch Torbay and the South Devon & Torbay Clinical Commissioning Group. This year's Festival was hosted by Paignton Library and Torbay Inter-Faith Forum (TIFF), in partnership with independent health and social care watchdog, Healthwatch Torbay. The latter donated their walk-in facility to the event.
Each faith offered their own unique call to prayer to start the day before a range of activities took place that included live music; a cinema film club; and young people’s activities such as banner painting and interfaith storybook reading, all with the help of Torbay Inter Faith Forum for Youth (TIFFY).
“It was a fantastic day that really strengthened good interfaith & belief relations and increased awareness of the different and distinct communities in Torbay and Devon,” said Healthwatch Torbay and TIFF member Kevin Dixon, “Torbay Inter-Faith Forum brings together people who are interested in learning more about the beliefs and practices of those who live in our three towns, and to be able to host the Devon Festival of Faith and Belief was a fantastic opportunity to achieve this and foster greater understanding and friendship between people from different faiths and beliefs. The feedback we have received from those who attended has been nothing but extremely positive, and hopefully Torbay can host it again very soon.”
Having been formed over 20 years ago, Torbay Inter-Faith Forum is one of the oldest in the country. The current committee includes representatives from the Anglican, Spiritualist, Baha'i, Methodist, Quaker, Muslim and Humanist traditions. The Forum welcomes people of faith and no faith to its open meetings each month on Wednesdays beginning at 7.30pm at the Friends Meeting House, 48 Tor Hill Rd, Torquay. For more information call 01803 690079. An Inter-Faith forum also exists in Totnes. For information about this, call 01803 553344.
“Healthwatch Torbay, and their youth forum Torbay Youth Power, have been working closely with the Torbay public and black and minority ethnic groups to ensure that their voices are heard and opinions on Torbay's health and social care services are listened to”, said Mr Dixon. “Their involvement in this Festival is a testament to their all-inclusive culture. Everyone hopes that the Festival has encouraged a greater public appreciation of the rich diversity of the Bay and our wider society.”
For more information about Healthwatch Torbay, or to share your own experiences, call free on 08000 520 029, visit www.healthwatchtorbay.org.uk or email info@healthwatchtorbay.org.uk . You can also visit their walk-in facility at Paignton Library.
