Faith Communities are #StrongerTogether: Mitzvah Day at Rose Castle

Stronger Together: Mitzvah Day at Rose Castle

Mitzvah Day is a Jewish led interfaith day of social action. On 24th November, volunteers from Rose Community and across Cumbria joined 55,000 other volunteers worldwide who donated their time to strengthen relationships between faith and non-faith communities.

Following guided walks in the Lake District, Rose Community welcomed 100 guests to Rose Castle for afternoon tea, including refugees from Afghanistan, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, South Sudan and Ukraine, who were brought to the event by volunteers from Carlisle Refugee Action Group and West Cumbria Support Network, local charities which support refugees. The event attracted the attention of national press, being broadcast on ITV news the following day with a positive message of collaboration between faith communities during divided times.

The significance of the gathering was reflected by Stuart Diamond, the CEO of Mitzvah Day, travelling from London just to be at the tea, on what is the busiest day of the year for him! Stuart Diamond, along with Julie Minns MP and local dignitaries and faith leaders met the refugee families and it was a unique opportunity for everyone to not only forge closer friendships with each other, but to embrace the potential that comes from collaborating across difference.

Speeches from local dignitaries and faith communities declared their support for the welcome of all, compelling everyone to work together to build strong foundations for the future of our increasingly diverse county. It was a great event for Rose Community to build relationships with other Cumbrian organisations as we seek to grow a local ecosystem of partnerships.

Volunteers had collected and refurbished laptops, which were given out to refugees to assist them with their English language classes, education and used to help them gain employment. Other groups had collected clothes for children and a room at the castle was dedicated to distributing the clothes directly to the refugees who needed them the most. Communities across Cumbria, including churches and members of the Mountain Rescue, collected outdoor clothing, boots 
and rucksacks to ensure the refugees kept warm and dry during their Mitzvah Day adventure!