I was really pleased to be able to attend the St John Ambulance Community Iftar which was held at Queen Alexandra College in Harborne under the theme of Bringing Communities Together.
It was a a most informative, as well as a thoroughly enjoyable evening, which was coordinated by the Revd Canon Mark Pryce, the County Chaplain for St John and Shehzad Naroo. Iman Idris explained the importance of Ramadan and the opportunity that fasting and prayer provides for Muslims to deepen their spirituality and refocus on kindness, patience and self reflection. It was also noted that fasting plays a key role in many of the religions of the world, including Christianity during the period of Lent which has coincided very closely with Ramadan in 2026. We also heard from Dr Andrew Smith who acts as the interfaith leader for the Bishop of Birmingham who talked about The Feast project which supports dialogue amongst young people of all faiths across Birmingham.
The occasion also offered another great opportunity to reflect on the wonderful work undertaken by St John Ambulance in the West Midlands, with National president Kate Ware and County president Lady Diana Crabtree.