What a week we’ve just come through! Just a few days ago, I wouldn’t have even entertained the idea that I would be struggling to find out who the ministers are in the government departments we work closest with—that being Health and Social Care and Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. And, as I write this, […]
Let them work…?
My household is bracing itself for a major change. After an intense two year period of GCSE and post-16 study, we will soon have two teenagers without an occupation. They, I’m sure, have all kinds of plans to kick back and relax, binge on Netflix and catch up with friends. I, on the other hand, […]
The uncanny joy of meeting
Over the past two years, we’ve learned that we can do so much remotely, particularly when it comes to what we thought of as office-based work. We can have meetings, we can hold workshops, and we can hire and fire people. I even know some people who have worked at an organisation for a considerable […]
You’d be daft not to!
Having been working at FaithAction for over a decade, I sometimes have to remind myself that not everyone knows of and appreciates the amazing things that faith groups do, day in, day out. When the APPG on Faith and Society commissioned the report, Keeping the Faith, on faith communities and local councils working in partnership […]
Faithfully responding to crisis?
As the shock of the first week of the Russian invasion of Ukraine starts to fade, we have opportunity to be more considered in our responses. Despite the warnings from Western governments and intelligence services, many of us were shocked when the full-scale Russian invasion began last week. However, despite the initial surprise, this crisis […]
Behind the scenes
It is often true that the real, heroic, life-changing stuff happens behind the scenes, usually without fanfare or even recognition. Over the years, there has been work done here at FaithAction, work that has been important to me, that was done because I believed it would make a real difference, even if I thought it […]
I don’t care what you do—just do something!
I am perched on the edge of a cream leather sofa which has been rapidly cleared of freshly-ironed clothing. There is a bustle of activity going on as my wife and I relent and agree to a cup of tea. I don’t really want a drink—I don’t want to impose—but I realise I need to […]
All together now… or are we?
Have you ever had a song that you can’t get out of your head, a brainworm that will not go away? All Together Now by The Farm has been that song for me. It was a Christmas hit about solidarity in the First World War—the 1914 Christmas truce that resulted in a football match between […]
“Freedom Day”: a time for faithful neighbours
The Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced that from 19th July 2021 most of the remaining COVID-19 restrictions will be lifted. Once we get past the predictable political back and forth, which forms the theatre of any government announcement, we see that the mismatch of opinion remains. Many ordinary people are at odds with each […]
Rebuilding our internal architecture
The New York Times reports on a new term being coined by psychologists – Languishing. This is the real and developing mental health complaint caused by the COVID lockdowns. “It wasn’t burnout — we still had energy. It wasn’t depression — we didn’t feel hopeless. We just felt somewhat joyless and aimless.” It is not […]