Annual Report

The TORBAY INTER-FAITH FORUM exists to bring together people who are interested in learning more about the beliefs and practises of different Faiths. The Forum aims to foster greater understanding and friendship between people from different Faith groups, and to encourage among the general public a greater appreciation of the rich diversity of belief and practice within our own society and beyond.

We are delighted to welcome you to our A.G.M., and to express to you our warm thanks and appreciation for your support. The year seems to have passed very quickly but our regular activities have kept us busy and have been fairly well attended.

As most of you will know, we have been able to complete a programme of six evenings here at the Friends Meeting House, each of a presentation followed by discussion on the topic, of which this evening is the last. In addition the International Day of Peace was observed here, experiencing a Quaker Meeting on Sunday followed by a shared lunch and an afternoon Inter-Faith discussion on the topic of 'Making Peace'.

For 'One World Week' in October the Methodist Church in Palace Avenue, Paignton, invited us to attend a special Sunday morning service, followed later in the week with an evening program of fellowship and reflection on the theme of 'Growing Together'. Altogether nine events have taken place since June 2008 with the regular participation of some 25 people. We really hope that these events have been enjoyed and welcome any suggestions for activities for the coming year.

However, in addition to the program of talks and discussions, the importance of fostering interfaith dialogue and understanding has been growing nationwide, not least of all in Torbay. Members of our small committee have been asked to participate in various activities within the Bay, and to represent the different faith communities. Among these have been the Torbay ChangeUp Consortium, and more recently the newly established 'Prevent' organisation which has replaced the former TORRPAT, both of which concern 'Safer Communities in Torbay.

We were asked to make a presentation about our Forum and the work it is doing to a number of Torbay Council personnel at the Town Hall, as you may know every Local Authority has to have an Equality and Diversity Officer, and an emphasis is given to 'Social Inclusion' in today's society. Following last year's opportunity to meet with 'Christians Together' in Torquay, we were invited to a similar event at St. George' Goodrington. Finally, as ever, two Forum members attend meetings of Torbay SACRE, once each school term, and we were recently invited to offer a report of our activities, especially the Youth branch of the Forum, (TIFFY) when the Bishop of Exeter visited Torbay recently as part of the special celebrations taking place this year.

It seems therefore that the Torbay InterFaith Forum is becoming a resource to the wider community, as it links in with other services in the Bay, - especially since concerns about religious matters are currently more in evidence and society generally has become more multi-cultural.

In addition to the activities of the lnterFaith Forum itself, there are the activities of the Forum for Youth. - TIFFY. - that have also taken up a lot of our efforts. Following the award of £1500.- given to us by the national council of SACRE for England and Wales, we are delighted to report that a further award of £2,000 has recently been confirmed. This will enable us to continue our work with the 10 state and private Secondary schools in Torbay. Various topics have been worked on and activities have included an event in Plymouth with youth there arranged at the Centre for Religious and Cultural Activities with the help of Mr. Jonathon Marshall, and a visit to the Islamic Centre in Torquay.

Plans are already in hand for the coming year. These include an evening with the teachers of RE themselves. We have been delighted to note that once each year the Boys Grammar School hosts an open Inter-Faith evening for the presentation and discussion of a moral or spiritual topic. The sixth-formers launch the topic, followed by a panel of speakers. The first topic last year was 'The Problem of Evil' and this year the evening was on `Science and Religion: Belief in God is incompatible with Scientific Reasoning.’

As this report comes to an end, may we acknowledge and thank the members of our Steering group, and thank also, with very warm appreciation, the support of everyone who comes to our meetings, and in particular the Torquay Quaker community and the Methodist Church, Palace Avenue, Paignton, which have each hosted at least one event during the past year.