Together in service

A major new programme to celebrate, promote and link the huge variety of social action undertaken by the nation’s faith communities has been launched by Faith and Communities Minister Baroness Warsi.

Together in Service is a three year programme celebrating social action projects, and can be based around each of the faith communities religious festivals or dedicated volunteering days. It is designed to motivate and inspire new work, especially around multi-faith volunteering projects between religions.

The initiative will be based around an ongoing monthly calendar of faith-based volunteering. Up to one week every month will be focused on the volunteering that the featured faith undertakes by itself, for example the Christian-led Street Pastors or food banks. The programme will then feature multi-faith projects, where the lead faith has joined up with other religions to deliver voluntary work.

The programme will be supported by a ‘fellowship’ of active volunteers who can provide training, information and wider support to new and existing organisations. This can inspire them to deliver multi-faith volunteering projects, while building on the enthusiasm generated as part of last year’s A Year of Service.

A Together in Service fund of up to £300,000 over three years is available in the form of small grants for multi-faith projects. Up to £1,000 will be on offer to help get local projects off the ground in areas where there may be a lack of confidence or knowledge in undertaking volunteering work in a multi-faith way.

Baroness Warsi was speaking at the launch of the 2012 National Church and Social Action Survey which found that volunteering in churches has increased by 36% in just two years, showing that the appetite for social action is on the increase.

For further information visit www.gov.uk/government/news/baroness-warsi-launches-together-in-service-the-next-phase-of-support-for-multi-faith-volunteering