Community Support
Emergency food, practical help and a place to turn to when circumstances change suddenly.
Telford & Wrekin Interfaith Council
Unity in the Community
We bring together people of different faiths, cultures and backgrounds across Telford & Wrekin — working in friendship and cooperation to serve, support and care for our neighbours.
Formed in September 2019 and registered as a charity in April 2020, the Council is made up of faith communities, cultural groups, organisations and residents who believe that a borough is stronger when its communities know one another.
Serve. Support. Care.
The Council exists to promote friendship, cooperation and inclusion between the borough's faith and cultural communities, and to work with local organisations and services for the benefit of all residents.
Everyone is welcome. You do not need to belong to a faith to take part in our work, to use our Community Hub or to be part of the conversations we hold about life in Telford & Wrekin.
Our work
Practical support, rooted in relationships
Six areas of work shape what the Council does across the borough, from emergency food to youth provision, wellbeing, skills and interfaith engagement.
Youth & Families
A free youth club, the Interfaith Youth Forum and holiday activities for children across the borough.
Health, Wellbeing & Social Connection
Warm, welcoming spaces where residents can share a hot meal, play a game or simply find company.
Education & Skills
Cooking activities, budgeting courses and educational support delivered with trusted partners.
Interfaith & Cultural Engagement
Workshops, festivals and civic partnerships that bring the borough's communities into conversation.
Seasonal Community Initiatives
The Mobile Santa Grotto, Christmas Day meals and the annual Easter Smile campaign.
Community impact
What the borough has achieved together
Figures recorded by the Council for the period April 2020 – December 2024. They reflect the work of volunteers, member organisations and partners across Telford & Wrekin.
- Meals provided
- 670,758Meals provided
- Adults and children fed
- 49,758Adults and children fed
- Volunteer hours
- 40,500Volunteer hours
- Pieces of fresh fruit in breakfast provisions
- 532,720Pieces of fresh fruit in breakfast provisions
Cumulative totals recorded for April 2020 – December 2024.
Community stories
Projects that bring people together
Seasonal initiatives
Mobile Santa and Christmas Day meals
Each December the Mobile Santa Grotto tours the streets of the borough so that children can meet Father Christmas close to home. On Christmas Day itself, volunteers cook and deliver hot meals to residents who would otherwise spend the day alone.
Emergency support
Out-of-hours emergency food
Since 2020 the Council has run an out-of-hours emergency food service, providing parcels with between four and seven days' food per person, by collection and by delivery, for households facing sudden hardship.
Youth & families
Free youth provision and the Youth Forum
Youth club sessions are free to attend, because economic circumstances should never decide whether a young person has somewhere safe to go. The Interfaith Youth Forum, established in late spring 2021, brings young people together across faiths and cultures.
Interfaith Community Basketball
Sport as a way of meeting one another
Sessions are non-competitive and open to mixed participation, with the emphasis on fitness, friendship and taking part rather than on results. It is not a conventional basketball club.
Recognition
Awards & recognition
Armed Forces Covenant — Bronze Award
Signed in March 2023, with the bronze award achieved, reflecting the Council's commitment to supporting serving personnel and veterans.
Mayor's Building Bridges Award
Awarded to Telford Interfaith Community Basketball for providing a service that breaks down barriers in Telford & Wrekin.
High Sheriff of Shropshire recognition
Recognition presented to the Council for its voluntary work supporting residents across the borough.
Sport England support
Following the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Sport England donated up to two dozen basketballs and other equipment, together with a plaque confirming support for the Interfaith Community Basketball initiative.
Peace Pledge signatory
In 2020 the Council became one of the first interfaith organisations in the UK to sign the Peace Pledge, which aims to foster a culture of peace throughout the world.
Our members
20 faith, cultural and community organisations
Churches, mosques, gurdwaras, the Jewish community, Buddhist and Hindu communities, Quakers, cultural associations and other local organisations take part in the work of the Council.
Archive
Annual reports
2022–2023
Annual Report 2022–2023
Recognition through the Armed Forces Covenant, sustained emergency food support, equality and diversity work in schools, and the Warm Space project that became the weekly Chit-Chat café.
2021–2022
Annual Report 2021–2022
A year of growth: the Community Hub opened its doors, emergency food support expanded, and the Council supported people arriving from Afghanistan and the response to the war in Ukraine.
2020–2021
Annual Report 2020–2021
The first full year of the charity's work, shaped almost entirely by the COVID-19 pandemic: breakfast provisions for children eligible for free school meals, out-of-hours emergency food, educational support and seasonal projects.
Visit or contact us
Telford & Wrekin Interfaith Community Hub
19 New Street, Wellington
Telford TF1 1LU
+44 (0)1952 482417
hello@interfaithtelford.org
Contact details