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Telford & Wrekin Interfaith Council

Our work

What the Council does

Our work is grouped into six areas. Some projects run continuously, others were delivered in response to particular circumstances; each description states which.

Shelves of food parcels at the Interfaith Council food store

01

Community Support

Emergency food, practical help and a place to turn to when circumstances change suddenly.

The Out-of-Hours Emergency Food Service has been at the centre of the Council's work since 2020, providing food parcels to families and individuals in need through a mix of collections and deliveries. Each parcel holds between four and seven days' worth of food per person.

Grant funding from Telford & Wrekin Council enabled the service to continue out of hours and to run a van, which has also been used to take vulnerable residents to doctors' appointments and prescription collections.

The Council has also responded to wider crises, supporting families arriving through the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme and acting as a free collection and sorting point for the Ukraine relief campaign in Telford.

Emergency food parcels packed at the Interfaith Council food store

02

Youth & Families

A free youth club, the Interfaith Youth Forum and holiday activities for children across the borough.

The Council delivers free youth club provision for children in the borough, in the belief that economic circumstances should never prevent young people from meeting in a safe environment, having fun and learning new skills.

The Interfaith Youth Forum was established in late spring 2021 with six founding members, all under 18, to bring young people together from all backgrounds to build friendships and learn about the faiths and cultures of the borough.

Holiday activity programmes have provided children with activities, equipment, lunches and cooking ingredients during school holidays.

Community activities

Young people and volunteers taking part in a youth club session at the Community Hub

03

Health, Wellbeing & Social Connection

Warm, welcoming spaces where residents can share a hot meal, play a game or simply find company.

The Warm Space project opened the Community Hub to residents struggling to heat their homes during the winter of 2022–2023, offering a hot meal, a hot drink, games and company. It ran two days a week from December 2022 to the end of March 2023.

Following its success, a fundraising campaign allowed the service to continue as the Chit-Chat café.

Interfaith Community Basketball provides non-competitive sessions focused on fitness, friendship and participation rather than competition.

Interfaith Community Basketball

Warm Space project poster inviting residents to the Community Hub

04

Education & Skills

Cooking activities, budgeting courses and educational support delivered with trusted partners.

Free cooking activities have been delivered with funding support through one of the Council's trusted partners, giving participants the chance to learn new recipes and take away food they have cooked themselves.

Free budgeting courses have run over two hours a week for three to four weeks, covering income and expenditure, starting a budget, distinguishing wants from needs, keeping to a budget and adapting it, managing debt and building savings.

During the pandemic the Flash Academy project supported pupils with English as an additional language across three secondary and eight primary schools, including the provision of more than 30 mini-iPads to families without the technology to take part.

Community skills & support

Ingredients and equipment laid out for a community cooking session

05

Interfaith & Cultural Engagement

Workshops, festivals and civic partnerships that bring the borough's communities into conversation.

Equality, diversity and inclusion workshops were delivered to over 1,000 students in local primary and secondary schools during South Asian Heritage Month in July 2022.

Events at the Community Hub have marked Black History Month, Diwali, Eid, Holocaust Memorial Day and the King's Coronation, among other occasions.

The Council works alongside West Mercia Police, Telford & Wrekin Council, the fire and health services, and faith, non-faith, cultural and community groups across the borough.

Our members & partners

A community engagement event held at the Interfaith Community Hub

06

Seasonal Community Initiatives

The Mobile Santa Grotto, Christmas Day meals and the annual Easter Smile campaign.

The Mobile Santa Grotto has toured the streets of Telford & Wrekin in the two weeks before Christmas since 2020, supported by Telford & Wrekin Council, Balfour Beatty and many volunteers, alongside the distribution of selection boxes to vulnerable children.

Hot Christmas Day meals have been prepared and delivered to vulnerable adults, including people in homeless shelters and older residents, with a sit-down meal held at the Community Hub for those wanting company.

The Easter Smile campaign has delivered Easter eggs to vulnerable families and individuals across the borough each year since 2021.

The Interfaith Mobile Santa Grotto van lit up at night with volunteers and Father Christmas

Taking part

Activities are open to residents of Telford & Wrekin and no booking system is operated through this website. Days and times vary from term to term and are shared through the Council's social media channels and at the Community Hub.

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19 New Street, Wellington, Telford TF1 1LU