- The origins of IFW go back to the late ‘60’s, when, following Wolverhampton MP Enoch Powell’s ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech, discussions between members of different faiths began to take place in order to counter-act the potentially divisive effects of the speech. The Wolverhampton Inter Faith Group (WIFG) was established as a charity in 1974, later to become Wolverhampton Inter Faith Council. Its early development was very much inspired and facilitated by Ivy Gutridge, a Methodist lady who was awarded the MBE for her inter-faith work. In 2010 the Wolverhampton Inter Faith Council merged with the Wolverhampton Faith and Regeneration Network to become the Wolverhampton Inter-Faith and Regeneration Network In September 2014, the charity’s name became Interfaith Wolverhampton.
- Details of the
organisation’s history can be found in particular in its
publications celebrating different anniversaries: Memories and Visions (1994), 25 years
and Counting (1999), Reflections on the Past, Visions for the Future (2006),
Building Bridges, not Walls (2014).
- The Wolverhampton
Archives & Local Studies (01902-552480) retain a wide range of
documents, held under the title of Wolverhampton
Inter-Faith Group, spanning the organisation’s history. They are available for inspection on
request.
What we do
All our activities are inspired by our mission to provide education aimed specifically at nurturing and disseminating knowledge and understanding of the rich diversity of religious beliefs and practices within the City of Wolverhampton with the purpose of supporting community cohesion through dialogue and collaboration on specific projects. In particular, we:
- Work closely with
statutory and voluntary organisations to pre-empt and respond to instances of
inter-faith tension within the City
- Act as the prime referral
point for any matters relating inter-faith issues
- Respond to requests
for information from members of the public
- Organise visits by
schools to different places of worship
- Arrange RE days in
schools on different faiths
- Provide training on faith
customs and traditions for statutory and non-statutory organisations which deal
with people from different faiths
- Hold monthly ‘Bring and
Share’ lunches, led by a different individual, to discuss how our faith affects
our lives
- Hold an annual
conference on a particular topic (Forgiveness, human rights etc.)
- Arrange social and
cultural events where people of different faiths can meet and talk
- Arrange an annual
pilgrimage to local places of worship
- Arrange an annual
coach trip to more distant places of worship
- Arrange an annual
interfaith Prayer service
- Organise an annual
Holocaust Service on behalf of the Mayor’s Office
- Publish a quarterly
newsletter