Who would’ve guessed this time last year what 2020 had in store? Back in October 2019, we were in the midst of Brexit entanglements (okay, maybe little has changed there!). Then there was a general election, the economy started to pick up, and we began to hear about a disease in China. What a difference […]
How many times have you wished you had known then what you know now?
How many times have you reflected on your reactions or decisions and wished you had known then what you know now? It’s now September 2020. Schools have reopened, there are suddenly more of us out and about, and yet we are still supposed to remain socially distant. For those commuters who have been enjoying a […]
Turbo-charged social prescribing
After the initial deluge of activity surrounding the UK government’s ‘lockdown’ in response to the coronavirus and the massive changes to life that incurred as a result, the attention of policy-makers has moved to the impact of the virus, the lockdown, and wider life around us. The great need to act and to achieve some […]
Making a difference in uncertain times
There is a certain pride I feel when I see the way that those who work in the voluntary sector and in faith organisations respond to a crisis like that which we are facing. It is not a wrong, boastful pride but a ‘settled rightness’ that makes me want to tell others the good news […]
We’re in extraordinary days: what’s my part to play?
As we face the current crisis around COVID-19 (or Coronavirus) more and more guidance is starting to appear, particularly advice to organisations and communities. Yet beyond the questions on gatherings and hand washing, there is always that internal preparation that we each individually need to consider, particularly as faith is a leading influence on our […]
Common sense just isn’t that common
Just so you know this piece will end with an ask, a call to action. It won’t be hard, complicated, or academic. It’s an ordinary ask… but just make sure you don’t miss it! Logical, simple answers to problems and obvious observations are always worth making. You see, it is really easy to make sophisticated […]
Widows and Orphans: a philosophy for action
I often hear asked, “As a person of faith, how do you approach working with people of other faiths?” People generally understand the interest in dialoguing together about faith (aka ‘interfaith’) and they understand that having a faith motivates people to act, to do good, and make a positive difference. But if people hold different […]
Mind the gap! The FaithAction Manifesto 2019
Many of us will be familiar with the signs and announcements on the underground in London, to ‘Mind the gap!’. You can even buy t-shirts with the slogan, as a souvenir of London. When we hear something frequently, we can stop paying attention. In the same way, we are in danger of not paying attention […]
5 million people in the UK – are you next?
There are now 13 local authorities who have adopted the Faith Covenant created by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Faith and Society (of which FaithAction is the secretariat). That means 5 million people are covered by the faith covenant in; Birmingham Leeds Northampshire Barnet Solihull Calderale Southampton Blackpool Essex Brent Wolverhamton Preston Brighton […]
It’s October 31st and this is NOT a blog about Brexit
My team are a cunning bunch and a few weeks back, with the 31st October coming up, they said to me, “How about you write a blog for Brexit day?” Well, I agreed as I was rushing out the office. But, of course, now there is no Brexit to speak of and we still don’t […]