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The ASHA Centre
The ASHA Centre
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ASHA Interfaith Conference 2025

For two days in May 2025, 32 senior representatives of local, regional and national interfaith organisations across England gathered to plan a new course for interfaith dialogue at the ASHA Centre in the Forest of Dean in rural Gloucestershire. The conference was generously hosted by celebrated human rights campaigner and author Zerbanoo Gifford at the ASHA Centre, which she founded, and coordinated by Warwick Hawkins, esteemed Director of Faith in Society. For those yet to visit, the ASHA Centre is an international charity for equality and empowerment in the fields of sustainable development, the arts, and interfaith and intercultural dialogue.

This was the first major meeting of national and local interfaith groups and religious leaders following the seismic closure of the longstanding body The Interfaith Network, which left many faith communities and interfaith practitioners disoriented and disheartened. The strength of this ASHA Interfaith Conference was the depth and breadth the attendees could speak to, with a mix of national and local faith and interfaith practitioners representing a large range of beliefs and religions. As such, the conversations were not academic or theological – the focus was on creating value for British society and the many communities the attendees served on a day-to-day basis. Key issues were raised, such as eradicating violence against women and girls, protecting communities from hate, and improving public health and wellbeing outcomes for disenfranchised or marginalised groups that traditional structures historically have found it harder to reach. Those who have visited the ASHA Centre before will know that the environment provides nature therapy and grounding that decompresses and depressurises visitors with disarming swiftness. Many reflect that it is the first real breath they have taken in some time. This makes it an ideal venue for deep collaborative work because it encourages openness, receptivity, flow and calm.

Key takeaways from the event were the need to embrace: the new reality of a post Interfaith Network Britain; greater organisation and communication between the faith sector to provide clearer messaging, avoid duplication and maximise resources; and better social outreach to communicate the good work already being done by grassroots organisations (especially via social media). An exciting outcome was the group consensus that a national steering committee be established to organise and deliver the annual National Inter Faith Week in November. This steering committee is already working to join forces with local, regional and national stakeholders to deliver a representative and progressive programme that highlights the best of Britain and its interfaith work.

The Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life estimated in 2010 that 84% of the world population is religious or religiously affiliated. Whilst the world has certainly changed since, it is undeniable that people of religious and spiritual beliefs are in the majority globally and are necessarily a critical component of meaningful progress. Many in Britain were reminded of this during the Covid-19 pandemic, when under-resourced local authorities reached out to partners in the “faith sector” to help manage social issues such as food poverty, mental health and wellbeing. The experience changed Britain, and the illustration of faith communities as a national safety net and key component of national resilience was highlighted. Whether it is feeding the hungry at churches, gurdwaras, or food banks or defending vulnerable groups from hate and extremism on the streets, religious diversity remains an intrinsic part of the strength of Britain, and a stabilising source of grace when the promises of the social contract ring hollow.

Mahatma Gandhi famously said that “the final goal of all religions is to realise the essential oneness”. We live in a world with existential challenges. Rising sea levels swallow islands and coral reefs are bleached. Rainforests are bulldozed and centuries old olive groves are burned. Genocide, war, and famine are so commonplace globally that it can be equally desensitising to the young, who see the horrors first-hand through an ever-diminishing roster of local journalists via social media, and the old, for whom such horror exists in collective lived memory. Britain wrestles with the “rivers of blood” speech, and whether we live in an isle of strangers, or alongside neighbours we should strive to love as ourselves. Perhaps the greatest challenge is to hold space for the truth, and the unfathomable pain it contains, and to refuse to allow a brutalisation of consciousness or to look the other way. Whilst life must go on day-to-day, it is important to make room for the grief, welcome it even in our moments of joy, and as it changes us, to act within our power to help heal the world.

I have often reflected that at the ASHA centre, Ahura Mazda (as Zoroastrians refer to God) is present in the babbling stream, in the budding roses, and in the siren of the wood warblers. The key constant in nature is life, which means activity and change. ASHA is not passive or static – the love and light there is maintained by Zerbanoo’s vision and commitment to sustainable stewardship of the natural world. We watched the group, diverse in faith, belief, age, ethnicity, gender, nationality, education, opinion, philosophy and outlook, share a moment around the interfaith peace grove, where members of a diverse range of faiths and beliefs had planted trees together. Amidst the sunlight and laughter there appeared a subtle but profound glow, loaned not given, amplified by being shared. Those peace grove trees were planted fifteen years ago, and in that time, ASHA has helped train many interfaith ministers and inspire young global leaders. ASHA has long been at the forefront of global interfaith work in characteristic style – with integrity, quiet industry, and bewitching beauty – open, and welcoming to the world without pomp and circumstance.

Zerbanoo reflected that she was delighted to see “so many of those that work tirelessly at the grassroots taking part”. She stated that “today the movement has a new home at the ASHA Centre: a place where those who bravely and generously work to end mistrust and misunderstanding of ‘the other’ can find the collective strength to continue their timely and important work”.

Kinship can be challenging, but Zerbanoo seems to have long understood that good food, good company, and good intentions go a long way in turning strangers into friends, and friends into communities that can change the world together.

Art Sett, Participant

A press release can be downloaded here.

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Tel: +44 (0) 7468 165 098 Email: contact@ashacentre.org

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