Kent Equality Cohesion Council

Tag: Gravesend Hindu Mandir

  • Gravesham stands together to remember terror victims

    Gravesham stands together to remember terror victims

    Kent Equality Cohesion Council and Gravesham Borough Council organised an inter faith gathering on Friday April 26th which was attended by faith and community organisations from across the borough. The event was organised to pay respects and remember those who lost their lives in the Sri Lankan terror attack. The event was held on Community Square and was attended by around 100 people.

    Speakers from different faith and community organisations spoke to condemn the attacks and urged the community to stand together and not to be divided by the terrorists. The speakers included Gurvinder Sandher from the Kent Equality Cohesion Council, Reverend Richard Martin from the North Kent Interfaith Forum, Senior Pastor Tom Griffiths and Father Innocent.

    The Mayor of Gravesham Cllr David Hurley, Deputy Lord Lieutenant Dr. Vasudaven, Adam Holloway MP also spoke, strongly condemning the attack and offering their condolences and support to anyone affected in the violence. They were joined by Chairman of Kent County Council Cllr Mike Angell, Chief Inspector Neil Louden of Kent Police, as well as representatives from the Guru Nanak Dabar Gurdwara, Gravesend Hindu Mandir, Gravesend and Dartford Muslim Association and the Buddhist faith. After the speeches, the Christian flag was raised as a symbol of solidarity on Community Square.

    Gurvinder Sandher CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council said “I was shocked by the attacks that took place in Sri Lankan on Churches and Hotels on one of the holiest days of the year. Attacks like this are tragically becoming commonplace and it is up to us as a community to come together and condemn the violence in the strongest way. We must come together and unite where terrorists of whatever persuasion are seeking to divide us. I was pleased that faith groups from across the borough came and stood united to condemn these atrocities.”

    Mayor of Gravesham Cllr David Hurley said: “Thank you to everyone that came together on Friday at the interfaith event to stand together shoulder-to shoulder once again against these terrible violent acts of terrorism. It was heart-warming to hear and see people from many faiths and none join us on community square to show solidarity and hear speeches from those representing religions from Gravesham.”

  • Inter Faith Weeks brings faith groups together

    Inter Faith Weeks brings faith groups together

    Kent Equality Cohesion Council and Kent County Council worked in partnership to bring faith groups and partners together to mark National Inter Faith Week. 20 representatives from partner agencies including Kent Police, Kent Fire and Rescue Service, Victim Support, NHS and the Heart of Kent Hospice attended both the Gravesham Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara and the Gravesend Hindu Mandir (Temple) to learn more about the Sikh and Hindu faiths and practices. This was part of the Diverse Open Doors week where places of worship around Kent opened their doors to visitors from different faiths.

    This was followed by an Inter Faith event hosted at County Hall in Maidstone which was attended by around 60 people. The event was addressed by Gurvinder Sandher from Kent Equality Cohesion Council, Cllr Michael Hill from Kent County Council and Jatinder Birdi the Co-Chair of the Inter Faith Network for the UK. Their then followed a round table exercise where representatives from the Christian, Sikh, Hindu, Muslim, Baha’i and Jewish faiths talked about the tenets of their religion and delegates went from table to table to learn more and ask questions.

    Gurvinder Sandher, the CEO of Kent Equality Cohesion Council commented “I am delighted that we were able to work with Kent County Council to arrange some events for National Inter Faith Week. It is important that events like this are marked and are used as an opportunity to bring different faith and community groups together to celebrate our shared values. The feedback has been very positive and gives us something to build upon for next year.”