Inter Faith Week: Multi-faith Celebrations and Services Richard House is a diverse melting pot of faiths and cultures. Located in one of the most diverse boroughs in the UK, Newham, celebrating diversity and offering bespoke respite and end of life services is also part of what we do. This Inter Faith Week, we take a look at our multi-faith celebrations and services. Our Multi-faith room which is stocked with diverse religious and non-religious books, provides a space for our families to grieve and say farewell to their young ones in whichever way to choose. With some families choosing to use spaces including the Rainbow Suite to play Christian worship music in celebration of loved ones who have passed on. The hospice also celebrates a number of faith-based celebrations such as Eid and Christmas, in which every family is welcome to attend. These events reduce isolation by offering families the opportunity to meet and share experiences with others living in similar circumstances. With the pandemic preventing large gatherings nationally, the Richard House family looks forward to celebrating events together, in the future. We have been fortunate to have families who get involved in organizing faith-based activities. Maurad is a bright and cheerful young person who attends Richard House. He was born with a rare kidney and blood disorder, Fanconi anaemia. Murad said:“I can just be myself at Richard House. It’s had a very big impact on my life, without it I wouldn’t be here. The amount of help, support, event’s they have organized is great and I’ve been able to get involved in organizing some too. It’s been really fun meeting new people” The Eid party is often attended by many children and families at Richard House, with the local community pulling together as part of the celebration. Mum Gowhar said: “Murad helps to organise the Eid Party at Richard House Children’s Hospice every year and we are so thankful to the local restaurants that donate food for free on this special day for the families.” A Christmas party is also held every year at Richard House. Children and families from a variety of faith-based based or non-religious backgrounds often attend, and get the opportunity to meet Santa. Hope a cheerful 7 year old who suffers from a rare life-limiting condition called neutropenia often attends the Christmas parties at Richard House with her family. Grandad John said: “If people want to support a good cause, what better cause than Richard House. They’ve always made us feel welcome as a family, not just Hope. We attend family events at Richard House and before you know it, time has flown by. You leave knowing you’ve had such a lovely day.” We wouldn’t be able to support the needs of our life-limited children and their families in such as diverse way, without all the kindness and generosity of supporters and the local community. A big thank you to all who have supported the hospice. If you’re feeling inspired, get in touch today to find out how you or your community group could help support the most vulnerable children in society: [email protected] https://richardhouse.org.uk/donate