Faith Partnerships in Lancashire - Briefing Note, June 2025

A quarterly briefing note regarding the faith sector and partnership working from Peter Lumsden (pjlumsden58@gmail.com)

Places of Welcome regional coordinator, Gather regional coordinator, Representing Faith Networks on the LSC VCFSE alliance, and Public Issues officer NW England Methodist district.

A moving landscape.

Lancashire is going through another period of significant change. In health, there will be a significant reduction in the size and scope of the ICB (integrated care board). In local government, Lancashire will move from the current two-tier system of Lancashire County council, twelve district councils and two unitary authorities (Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen) to having three or four unitary authorities. In addition, it is very likely that there will be an elected, regional mayor for Lancashire, certainly within the next two years. In such a fluid landscape it’s crucial that the ‘voice’ of the faith sector, speaking to public issues such as justice, the environment, and human wellbeing, is heard far and wide.

State of the Sector survey.

In what feels like a never-ending period of flux, what remains constant are the groups and organisations that make up the VCFSE (voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise) sector. With over 600 churches across Lancashire, the Christian part of this network is the longest-standing, perhaps the most stable, and the most widely distributed, offering both practical care, but also spiritual support and guidance. Similarly the 100+ mosques and other faith settings provide wide-ranging support and care. One challenge though is the lack of a comprehensive listing of all such settings. It’s therefore helpful that an effort is currently being made to get a detailed picture of the VCFSE sector through a ‘state of the sector’ exercise. Details and links to the online survey here.

If all faith settings could complete this, it would be a huge help in giving our public sector partners a complete picture, as well as providing up-to-date information for the faith sector itself.

Places of welcome.

One simple way of improving connections between community (inc faith) groups is through the network of Places of Welcome. Any group which is open and providing simple refreshments at the same time each week, and is welcoming of anyone you can register here.

This will raise the profile, give access to support, and get advice for e.g. funding and training. It also enables local groups to come together to share their experiences and combine their efforts, as happened recently in Pendle. Pictured here are members of Pendle Food for All, St Phillips centre, and Curry on the Street at a local Places of Welcome sharing event.

Movement for Recovery and Family Hubs.

• Mapping work with Rev Mark Cowling of Gather has progressed well in Hyndburn (East Lancs) and a date set for a sharing of information at the September Family Hub network meeting.
• In Burnley, Churches Together and Building Bridges Burnley are closely involved in completing the mapping, and this will feature as part of a ‘Gather Together’ event with the Family Hub network team during Inter Faith week in November.
• Meanwhile in Pendle the mapping work and partnership working, especially around children’s ‘school readiness’, were shared at a special meeting with a visiting group from the Department for Education.
• A new initiative, of ‘Christian Community Hubs’ is being launched in November, with a pre-launch webinar on Wed 16th July. To register, click here.

A 'Gather' Summit - January 2025.

Plans are taking shape for a Lancashire ‘summit’ in January, during the week of prayer for Christian Unity. Under a running theme of ‘Neighbourhood -level care’ this will bring together the work on mapping, Places of Welcome, connections with family hub networks and social prescribers, and will help faith groups explore how to further develop their presence and their ‘offer’.