Representatives of different faiths in Bristol - including the Anglican Church - have launched a Faith Manifesto that shares five goals that they believe will contribute to the future well-being of the city.
The document is a result of six months work by faiths groups across the city, including Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu and Jewish. It highlights five areas which they have committed themselves to fulfilling, alongside whoever is elected as Bristol Mayor.
These aspirations are:
- Celebrating diversity
- Building community
- Strengthening families
- Challenging poverty
- Tackling climate change
Mayoral candidates were invited to the launched event at city hall, along with a number of other city leaders and stakeholders.
Revd Canon Prof Martin Gainsborough, Chaplain to the Bishop of Bristol and one of the members of the group, said: “We are excited to launch this manifesto as it has been a labour of love for many of us over the last few months.
"We really wanted to draw attention to the role of faith communities in the city and the crucial work they are doing, much of it voluntarily. We also wanted to make the commitment that we will continue to serve our city in this way and outline that areas that we think need the most attention.
"We hope this manifesto is the start of a closer working relationship between the elected Mayor, their council and faith groups”
Zaheer Shabir, from the council of Bristol Mosques and a member of the group, said: “It has been a positive and encouraging to work with representatives of so many of Bristol Faith groups to develop the manifesto. Although it took time, we learnt a lot from each other by listening and discussing our faiths, communities and priorities.
"The shared themes of diversity, community, family, poverty and climate change were important and meaningful to the whole group and we hope to see real improvements in all areas over the coming months and years by continuing to work together.”