The Sharakat Project began in 2008 out of the church’s vision to serve the community. It initially started as gatherings, bringing together members of the local community to discuss local needs and issues. Partnerships developed, for example with local police, local community centers, libraries, mosques, synagogues and local schools. The project developed from the initial gatherings into a community project with the aim to serve and build capacity in the local community in a way that fosters well-being, includes the marginalised and encourages cross cultural and cross faith, neighbourly relationships.
The Sharakat Project has run a wide range of projects to try and achieve these aims from English classes, After School Club, Lunch Club, Knit Together, Beauty Group, Silver Club, Place of Welcome, Asylum seeker drop-in, Creative Conversations, Walking Group, Gardening Group, drumming group and our Scones and Samosas cooking group. Our projects evolve over time to meet the changing needs of the community around us.
Our current work is based around our Monday Place of Welcome. Open to the whole community, a warm safe space providing a range of free activities along with tea & toast. A hot drink and conversation is always available.
A weekly seated aerobics session is one of the activities that we offer, making exercise accessible to many in the community who struggle to exercise.
Our Community Pantry runs alongside our Place of Welcome offering a low cost shop to those who need it.
We offer a range of craft activities from knitting to clay modeling. We have worked on a number of community art projects together, including ‘Gathered’ which hangs in the café space.
Once a month a couple of people take turns to cook for the group, we all enjoy the food that is made! Good friends are made through the activities we run and the group enjoy celebrating Christmas and Eid together, often with a bring and share meal.
We recently ran a Kintsugi Hope Wellbeing Course with a few members of the group, helping us to learn how to look after our own wellbeing.
Our most recent community-led initiative was Roots and Routes
Here are some video links to recent events :
- Video 1 (I can’t currently access FB. Am thinking I will download videos into youtube so we can imbed them into this page)
- Video 2
Below is a collection of photos from events that we have hosted or been invited to in recent years:
- Buckingham Palace visit
- Celebrating Manningham
- Duke & Duchess of Cambridge visit
- World curry festival
- Scones and samosas
- Summer trips
- Yarn bombing
- Nowruz party
- Manningham on Sea
Awards received for our community work