Multi-Faith UK

When the new Multi-Faith Centre was inaugurated by the Duke of Gloucester at Derby University on October 19, 2005, he was presented with a copy of Religions in the UK, a unique multi-faith directory published by Derby University in collaboration with the Inner Faith Network of the UK. Leafing thro­ugh the pages until he reached the chapter on Zoroastrians — always the last alphabetically based entry — the Duke asked if there was any Zoroastrian present. The acting chairman at the Centre, Prof Jonathan Powers DL identified ZTFE (Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe) committee member and former president Rusi Dalal, notes the entry on the ZTFE website, adding that the Duke later spent some time chatting to Dalal.

Representatives of the main faith communities involved in the formation of the Centre as well as other supporting communities, interfaith organizations, civic leaders and the millennium commissioner read out messages of support and goodwill. Dalal, who was accompanied by Ratan Buhariwala, addressed the gathering and read out a message of solidarity and support from the ZTFE.

A registered charity whose funding includes a grant from the Millennium Commission, the Multi-Faith Centre, with trustees from all traditions and background, promotes mutual respect and understanding between people from different religious and non-religious organizations, notes the website.

The Zoroastrian Centre at Rayners Lane was the venue of a national conference organized by the Faith based Regeneration Network on September 20, 2005. With participation from all sections of various communities, statutory and commercial sectors, local authorities and voluntary organizations, the conference aimed to raise awareness within the faith based sector of the potential of engaging in enterprise and also to provide an introduction to the skills and enterprise required for revenue creation, notes the ZTFE website.

After the welcome address by ZTFE president Dorab Mistry keynote addresses were delivered by Rumen Ahmed, community relations advisor to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and board member of the London Development Agency, and Bornie Morgan, chief executive of the Community Development Finance Association.

The program included high quality workshops conducted by practitioners of repute. Among them were Cyrus Todiwala, MBE of Café Namaste and Damien Nolen of the Hoxton School of Asian and Oriental Catering. With emphasis on creating revenue through earned income, they took the audience through various aspects of social and community enterprise including business planning and marketing.

The conference provided a perfect kick-start for community and social enterprise interacting with the fiercely competitive commercial sectors of the open market, helping people of creativity acquire earning power.