AN AUDIT OF FAITH PRESENCE AND ACTIVITY IN GREATER PETERBOROUGH

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1 AN AUDIT OF FAITH PRESENCE AND ACTIVITY IN GREATER PETERBOROUGH Commissioned by Peterborough City Council Project leader: Jenny Kartupelis MBE MPhil Date of Report: May 2015

2 Foreword Dear Reader, It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the results of the recent audit across faith groups in Peterborough. This has been a joint project between Peterborough City Council (PCC) and Churches Together in Central Peterborough (CTiCP), due to their shared interest in finding out about the activities of our faith groups in supporting our communities. It is a success story, because of the high level of responses to the questionnaire, the willingness of faith group leaders to participate, and the excellent research applied by Jenny Kartupelis MBE who was appointed to oversee the project and conduct the interviews and data collection, ably assisted by PCVS in encouraging and collating responses. I wish to pay tribute to the CEO of PCC, Gillian Beasley OBE LLB and her officers for their wholehearted backing of this project, despite some difficulties in the gestation period. No project of this nature, however successful its execution, will bear fruit without effective implementation of the findings, and that is now the challenge that both PCC and the faith groups have inherited. Some would say that that is a nice problem to have. I wish readers of this Faith Audit, and those who will take it forward every success in building on these foundations. Canon Dr Clive Morton, OBE Vice-Chairman, Churches Together in Central Peterborough. Table and figures: The actual figures on which the tables are based can be found in Appendix B Acknowledgements: Photographs appear courtesy of East of England Faiths Council, Hope into Action, Peterborough City Council, Peterborough Foodbank and Reverend Ron Watkinson

3 Contents Executive summary... 3 Introduction... 4 Purposes Greater Peterborough Methods Response rate Presentation of findings The presence of faith communities in Greater Peterborough... 6 Numbers Location Faith affiliation Size of faith groups Establishment of faith groups Provision of faith-based social action What is well provided What is less well provided Overall beneficiaries Who benefits most and least How projects are funded Constraints Why do projects end? The match between need and provision Perception of needs and provision of services Meeting perceived needs Desire to meet needs in the future Desire to assist beneficiaries in the future Community needs in Peterborough: the JSNA Faith assets Faith and social capital People Premises Funding Partnership working Faith groups working together Faith groups and the third sector Faith groups and the public sector Interfaith organisations Achievements of working in partnership Opportunities, challenges and constraints 1

4 Role of faith groups in Greater Peterborough How faith groups see their role Faiths and public policy The way ahead Summary of findings Suggestions for the future Appendix A Appendix B 2

5 Executive summary This audit was commissioned by Peterborough City Council and took place during 2014/15 with the purposes of mapping the location and activities of faith groups in Greater Peterborough; relating these to the wider community; producing a report that would include current statistics, analysis of activities, and suggestions for the future; and producing a database for retention and updating by the city council and for public use. Response The total number of groups identified was 120, and the response rate to the questionnaire was 59 per cent; response was broadly in proportion to the presence of the different faith traditions, and therefore representative of these. 25 groups were interviewed in depth. The majority of responding groups comprised fewer than 100 people, and had been established for more than ten years. Social action 87 per cent of respondents were providing social action Activities that include outreach (e.g. visiting sick, open days) and that facilitated people meeting each other, were well provided Activities that require specialist knowledge or equipment were less well provided The largest categories of beneficiary are young, older and disabled people Projects are primarily funded by faith groups themselves, from internal resources and individual donations Faith assets Faith groups provide people, money, premises and social capital Faith groups see their main roles as: meeting social need; supporting spiritual life; promoting the common good The faith contribution to the community is distinctive in combining a desire for the material and spiritual well-being of the wider community Potential of faith groups To fulfil their potential, they need better information; support with practical and management issues; access to more space; funding for longer-term stability of projects There is potential for more partnership working, and a high level of willingness to do so, but a lack of time, money and information The way ahead Seventeen specific suggestions are given at the end of the report, based on the above findings. These include ways of introducing new and optimising current resources; creating areas of focus for partnerships; and facilitating information sharing. Need and provision Faiths perceive the greatest needs as related to poverty, debt, homelessness and poor housing They also see English language competence as a barrier to integration The faith perception of need in the area does not necessarily reflect the JSNA reports on need The government is seen to be asking more, yet giving less support 3

6 Introduction Purposes In 2013, Peterborough City Council and Churches Together in Central Peterborough considered the need for, and value of a survey that would identify all the faith groups in Greater Peterborough, and find out more about their social and community activities. This survey was commissioned by the city council and commenced in mid The project has been led by Jenny Kartupelis MBE, working with the Peterborough Council for Voluntary Service (PCVS), and under the direction of a steering group comprising representatives of Peterborough City Council and Churches Together in Central Peterborough. The purposes of the survey were to: Establish the location and current activities of faith groups in the Greater Peterborough area at the time of the survey Discover the relationship of these groups to the wider community Indicate how the findings link into developments in local and national government policy Record stories that can be used in appropriate and agreed ways in a wider context, as examples of impact The overall objective of the project was to underline the benefit of the presence and activity of its faith groups to the community as a whole. The Steering Group is pleased to present this Report, which it hopes will be of use to faith, community and public sectors in planning their strategy and supporting one another, and to say that as a result of the work Peterborough now has an updated database of 120 faith groups that will be kept current by the city council as a reference tool. Greater Peterborough The survey covered the three localities and 24 wards of the Unitary Authority Area of Greater Peterborough (see section below on Location). Based on the findings of the most recent Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA), some of the key characteristics of the area are: Rising birth rate Rising life expectancy, but at a lower rate than national average Proportionately more young families than the average for England Higher than the UK average for non-white residents: 13.2 per cent The wards vary greatly in terms of deprivation indices, representing some of the most and least deprived wards in the country In general, higher deprivation occurs in the most central wards 30.5 per cent of school children do not have English as their first language GCSE achievement is lower than the national average, though steadily improving 80 per cent of migrant workers are from Eastern Europe, with more recent arrivals being from Latvia and Lithuania Between 2005 and 2010, 80 per cent of new NI numbers issued were to immigrants from Europe RAF Wittering falls within the boundaries HMP Peterborough falls within the boundaries Methods The methods used to gather the material that appears in this report have included: drawing together information already in the public domain; using an online survey sent to all identified groups, backed by and telephone contact to encourage response; and in-depth interviews with 25 faith groups and 15 individuals and organisations from the public and voluntary sectors with specialist knowledge. 4

7 The online survey was hosted by SurveyMonkey, with hard copies made available when requested. It was sent to a database originally compiled by using directories and other material (including from PCC), and then expanded and refined using personal contacts of PCVS and the project leader. In addition, the project leader has been gathering material for a Professional Doctorate under the aegis of Anglia Ruskin University, on multifaith work, the outcomes of her longer-term research will be used to supplement the findings of this report in the future. Presentation of findings The survey asked for both quantitative and qualitative information, which have been drawn together under headings designed to reflect the purposes of the project. The headings of tables indicate the actual wording of the question asked in the questionnaire. Response rate An initial 149 faith groups were identified in Greater Peterborough, and after the list had been refined and additions made, the total number initially approached to take part in the survey was 139. However, as results were received, it became clear that some entries were duplicates, some had ceased, and some were cultural rather than faiths groups. This further reduced the total to 120. Of these, 71 completed the online survey, a response rate of 59 per cent. It is hard to compare the success of response rates, given the variables, but the typical commercial survey undertaken by is expected to get about 9 per cent response, which can be boosted by follow-up contact. A much higher rate can be obtained when all the participants have been engaged in advance, and support the project, but that creates the problem of omitting those who would not normally have an interest, which thereby skews the results. The response rate of our survey compares favourably with that of previous similar work, such as the Peterborough faith groups mapping undertaken in 2012, which achieved 25 per cent. Our figures are comparable with other intensive surveys where there was rigorous follow-up: Faith in England s North West, 2003, with 54 per cent; Faith in the North East, 2004, with 50 per cent; and the Leeds Faith Survey of 2004 with 54 per cent. 5

8 The presence of faith communities in Greater Peterborough Numbers The database that has been provided to Peterborough City Council as a result of this project holds 120 individual groups, of whom only 16 have specifically requested that their details are not put into the public domain. This compares with 134 groups identified in the 2012 mapping exercise. However, it must be recognised that the total number is fluid, as groups arrive, close and merge. We have aimed only to include groups that can be specified as worshipping communities therefore the database does not include faithbased charities, or groups that are brought together solely by a cultural identity or a particular interest or purpose that does not include worship. Location The table below indicates location of groups on the database. Postcode Responded Non-responders PE PE PE3 6 5 PE4 8 1 PE5 1 2 PE6 5 3 PE7 6 6 PE8 1 Other 1 Unknown 2 4 Total Table 1 Location of Groups Broadly speaking, the more central, urban groups were more likely to respond than the rural ones. However, rural groups tended to be dominated by churches (especially Anglican) where one minister was usually responsible for several congregations. If that ministerial post is temporarily unfilled, the response rate will be distorted. Additionally, particular efforts were made to ensure at least one response came from each faith and/or denomination. As there is greater diversity in the city centre, more time will have been focussed on this location. 6

9 Faith affiliation Of the 120 total on the database, the numbers and proportions are as follows: Faith Total on database Buddhist 1 0.8% Christian Baptist % Percentage of total Church of England % Christian Science 1 0.8% Evangelical 9 7.5% Independent 1 0.8% Methodist 5 4.2% Methodist/URC 3 2.5% Pentecostal 4 3.3% Roman Catholic 9 7.5% Russian Orthodox 1 0.8% Salvation Army 2 1.7% Serbian Orthodox 2 1.7% Society of Friends 1 0.8% URC 1 0.8% Other/not known % Total Christian % Hindu 2 1.7% Jehovah s Witness 1 0.8% Jewish 1 0.8% Mormon 1 0.8% Muslim 7 5.8% Rajyoga Meditation 1 0.8% Sikh 3 2.5% Unknown 6 5.0% Total 120 Table 2 Faith affiliation (Baseline: 120 Total Registered on Database) The fact that a faith is not represented on this table does not indicate it has no adherents in Greater Peterborough, but that it has not been possible to identify a worshipping community, either with or without its own premises. This may be because worship takes place outside the geographical area, or in private homes on an occasional basis. This applies to the Baha i and Zoroastrian faiths, who are known to have adherents in the area. 7

10 Of the 71 total respondents to the survey, the numbers and proportions are as follows: Table 4: Size of faith groups Size of faith groups Faith Total responders Percentage of total response Percentage response from this faith group Buddhist 1 1.4% 100% Christian Baptist % 90% Church of England % 75% Christian Science 0 0% 0% Evangelical 5 7.0% 56% Independent 1 1.4% 100% Methodist 1 1.4% 20% Methodist/URC 1 1.4% 50% Pentecostal 2 2.8% 50% Roman Catholic 4 5.6% 44% Russian Orthodox 1 1.4% 100% Salvation Army 1 1.4% 50% Serbian Orthodox 0 0% 0% Society of Friends 1 1.4% 100% URC 1 1.4% 100% Other/not known 5 7% 66% Total Christian % 62% Hindu 1 1.4% 50% Jehovah s Witness 0 0% 0% Jewish 1 1.4% 100% Mormon 0 0% 0% Muslim 5 7.0% 71% Rajyoga Meditation 1 1.4% 100% Sikh 2 2.8% 67% Unknown Total 71 Table 3 Baseline: 71 Total Survey Responses and 120 Groups Registered on Database Total affiliation and response from each faith is broadly in line with the overall presence of that faith in Greater Peterborough. This can be compared with the 2012 survey, where over 90 per cent of respondents were Christian, making this one more representative. There is a considerable variation, as can be seen by the pie chart. However, the great majority (about two thirds) fall into the 0 to 100 groupings, suggesting that contacting worshipping communities is likely to demand dealing with mainly smaller groups and therefore possibly be quite time consuming. Of those responding, 66 per cent said that their worshippers attended in greater numbers on main festival days; we cannot know whether this is because they are drawing in people who do not normally attend but may live in the area, or people are travelling into Peterborough for a special occasion. It is likely to be both. Establishment of faith groups Of the 37 responses to the question on length of establishment, the significant majority of responding faith groups (76 per cent) had been established for over 10 years. This is not surprising, as the majority of respondents came from the traditional Christian denominations (which may have had a presence for many tens or hundreds of years), and some of the other major faith traditions have been settled in the city for fifty or more years. 24 per cent of the groups responding to this question have been formed in the last 10 years, indicating that there is a significant fluidity of faith presence, and that the database will need continual updating. Of the 34 who did not respond to this question, it is not clear whether they were established over 10 years ago or not. 8

11 As a matter of observation (but this was not researched) it seems likely that the social action being undertaken is more associated with groups that have been longer established, which would be expected because they will have built up more capacity and be less focussed on their own growth and continuing existence. Feeding families and the future: Peterborough Foodbank breaks new ground The work and importance of foodbanks is recognised throughout the UK. The first was set up in 2000 by a Christian organisation, The Trussell Trust, in response to an increasing need for a crisis service when people found themselves without food or money after a change in circumstances. The Trust has since helped to found many more, working with groups of churches from Christian denominations, but when the Peterborough Foodbank opened in 2012 it created a very positive new precedent by involving an additional faith, as one of the city s Muslim mosques has also become a distribution centre. The Foodbank not only ensures people do not go hungry in times of crisis, but also helps them find the confidence to sort out longer term needs, such as getting back into employment or stabilising their benefits situation. One client said that the volunteers at the Distribution Centre provided warmth for my soul as well as my body. The Peterborough Foodbank is one of the few projects that has united faith groups in Peterborough, with volunteers from all traditions. 9

12 Provision of faith-based social action Provision of Social Action This report first provides more information about the nature, beneficiaries, resourcing and constraints of the social projects identified. It then considers how the projects and beneficiaries compare to the perception and reality of community needs. What is well provided? The chart below indicates the large range of services provided in the community by faith groups. Previous research, such as that in Faith in the East of England [2005], has indicated that the great majority (80 per cent) of social action by faith groups is available to all people in the community, with only 2 per cent of groups limiting all their work entirely to their own community. We have confirmed this observation in the Peterborough survey through the 25 interviews undertaken, which can be deemed to be representative of the respondent pool. Table 5 Number and type of services Baseline: 62 respondents to this question [Actual figures in Appendix B] 10

13 Around half of all respondents visit people who are unwell, and the implications of this are explored later. A significant number provide opportunities for people to gather together for refreshments or to share interests. There is considerable outreach through school, college and community liaison, which the interviews suggest is in part initiated by faith groups, and in part by requests from schools. One respondent said: The most regular activity we currently host is school visits. There are many choirs together with musical directors in Peterborough. Some are attached to individual places of worship such as the Cathedral and some draw on singers and instrumentalists across churches and other community sources. Overall beneficiaries We asked respondents how many people they believed may benefit from their community services every week. Bearing in mind that the estimate will be very approximate, a total of 56 responses were received with 45 of these giving a numerative response. The totals given by respondents add up to some 5846 per week. Extrapolating to all known faith groups (i.e. estimating on this basis for non-responders) would give a total of 9255 beneficiaries per week. This is not a figure that can be used as anything other than roughly indicative of scope. Who benefits most and least? What is less well provided? The types of service that few faith groups provide are in general those that demand specialist knowledge or equipment, such as IT training, independent living support, health and housing advice, classes in language and literacy, financial services. This lack will be explored later in relation to unmet community needs, but it should be noted that in some other areas in the country this type of provision has been achieved through partnership with public bodies. Table 6 Number of faith groups providing services per beneficiary group (60 question respondents) [Actual figures in Appendix B] The largest categories of beneficiaries are children and young people; older people; and disabled people. There are likely to be a number of reasons for this: they are traditionally groups perceived as having higher than average level of need; they are easily identified; their needs may be seen as easier to meet (though this may not actually be the case). Taken together, parents under stress and one parent families are served by 80 groups, which is a major contribution to family as well as individual community life. 11

14 Conversely, other types of potential beneficiary may be viewed as having specialist needs that most faith groups do not feel they have the capacity or knowledge to meet, such as those with learning or mental health difficulties, or those seeking a job or qualifications. These people may also be harder to find, identify or reach, unless with the help of statutory bodies or the voluntary sector. Given that Peterborough has a higher than average level of immigration, and that migrants will often seek others from the same culture though worship groups, it is rather surprising that only 35 per cent of the groups that responded were providing services to new immigrants. Reasons for this apparent discrepancy could include: the possibility that migrants access support through cultural (non-faith affiliated) groups that are not covered by this survey; that giving access to companionship is not noted by worship groups as a service ; that some of the smaller groups such as the Orthodox Churches did not respond. The implications of this are considered later. How projects are funded Faith groups have a range of assets that they draw on to support their social action projects, and this will generally include money from within their organisation. Three fifths fund their projects from within their group, using donations from the worshipping community and other internal assets. Very few (3) rely on fees ( subscriptions ) from clients to fund a service. We also asked about the willingness of faith groups to obtain financial or other aid from Government bodies, and 79 per cent would be willing in principle. Where there was unwillingness or reservations, these were usually about the differences of agendas and the need to preserve the integrity of motivation and purpose of the faith community. Constraints Some services may not be offered because there is a low perceived need, or because the need is perceived as being met by others or in other ways. Some may end for the same reasons. We were interested to discover why faith groups may be unable to get projects off the ground if they believed there was a need and also insufficient current provision. We asked about reasons for not going ahead. Only 18 respondents had considered a project and then not started it, suggesting that the majority did not feel they had been held back from undertaking work that was required. Please specify reason for not proceeding Lack of money/ difficulties in raidsing funds Lack of paid staff Lack of volunteers Lack of demand Differences of opinion within your community Table 7: Number of Faith Groups and Types of Funding (53 Responses) Table 8: Reason for not proceeding with a project (18 Respondents) 12

15 Of those who were held back, money was the single largest constraint, and lack of volunteers the second. As far as funding is concerned, this may be a genuine lack, or a deficit in information about accessing funding, as these quotations suggest: Not knowing how to source for funds, for social action in our locality. Lack of information about funding to smaller churches like ours to support young people to get out of the streets and start new life of faith. In some cases, there may also be reluctance to take public funding: Not keen on money from PCC, as we would have to follow their agenda. Found that secular bodies did not expect to work with the same level of integrity, whereas other faiths do. In particular, several groups said that their beliefs prevented them from accessing Lottery funds. Funding was seen by some respondents as essential to unlock the potential of volunteers: The mosque and other groups have a steady supply of volunteers the real need is for funding and expertise as well as other resources, such as access to information. For some groups, the main constraint was lack of space, even if they had their own premises. They spoke of community rooms that were too small and needing bigger or more space. One mosque had had a specific problem: European fund bid for IT room rejected as only for one community. Others would have been welcome but the funders thought people would be reluctant to come into a mosque. It seems an excellent opportunity for integration was lost, and advocacy (by PCC) may have helped; and if this is ocurring with other faith groups there is a real opportunity for PCC. There were also reservations about commitment, responsibility and liability: Church would offer something [homeless shelter] if PCC could help eg guarantee or manage finances. Such issues have been addressed when faith groups work together on a project that has developed clear structures and safeguards, such as Hope into Action; but some faith groups may not wish to be part of a greater project, and therefore need to have access to a different type of external support. For others, finding volunteers can be a challenge, especially in a small or a new community, for a number of reasons: lack of members; its members scattered; leader or congregation stretched for time or struggling themselves: Numbers [of lonely older people] growing but I don't see church members able to offer a lunch club, being in need themselves. Our Community aren't as engaged with the wider community as other faith groups are. I put this down to mainly that most of them are busy balancing their personal and work lives, that any voluntary work is usually bottom of the priority list. Church leadership down to one person apart from priest. Everyone is voluntary and puts in many hours a week. 13

16 Why do projects end? To plan for the future, it is helpful to understand how faith-based projects end, and whether this is because of particular types of external constraint; due to internal problems; or because the perceived need has changed. Please give the reason for ending the social or community programme As with the reasons for not getting projects off the ground, the overwhelming cause of ending them is lack of money. The question did not explore whether this was a sudden cessation of funding, or a chronic lack that eventually took its toll. However, it is interesting that so few ended due to a lack of volunteers, given this was another major reason for not starting projects. Perhaps once they get going, initiatives draw people in; or perhaps a small number of people undertake much of the responsibility. Table 9 Reasons for ending projects by number of respondents (42 respondents) The Strength of Hope Hope into Action is the story of an idea that has grown and inspired everyone involved. When Ed Walker moved to Peterborough six years ago, he was struck by the needs he saw amongst homeless people, and the apparent lack of Christian response. And yet, he believed: Homelessness is a symptom of deeper need relational poverty, loneliness, abuse issues, and for this very reason those affected need to feel they are loved and the church can do this better than anyone. Ed s answer was to form Hope into Action, a scheme whereby Churches (one or more) can buy a house and provide a home to people who have reached a point where they want to change their lives, and will benefit from the support of church volunteers. Hope into Action partners with the churches and provides a professional worker to liaise with the city council, train volunteers to work with the tenants, and meet regularly to exchange information. There are already 14 houses in Peterborough, and the stories of the tenants who have started over, the leaders and congregations who have invested time and money, and the mentors and volunteers are inspiring, telling of lives transformed. So far over 1,400,000 capital has been raised for the city of Peterborough to buy houses for the homeless. This has come mainly from the churches, making a real impact on the community and addressing a need observed by most faith groups taking part in the survey. Hope into Action wins a national award: Andy Lanning, former prison Chaplain with Cecil Chipendo and a tenant at the Centre for Social Justice Awards in London. Hope into Action Photograph from Ed Walker: 14

17 The match between need and provision Perception of needs and provision of services All respondents were asked what they believed the social needs of Greater Peterborough to be, and to comment on the reason for them, and on any suggestions to address them. The response was wide ranging. To enable comparison between perceived need, social provision by faith groups, and the need identified by PCC, responses have as far as possible been clustered under the same headings in this and subsequent sections of the report. Categorisation is somewhat arbitrary, as there is not unexpectedly a large overlap between the different categories of need, and also perceived causes - and effects between them, which has been brought out as far as possible in the summaries below. Several respondents just listed whole areas of need, without further comment, for example: Youth, unemployed, poverty, and integration. Health and wellbeing Respondents expressed specific health concerns that related to particular groups of people: the young, the elderly and those with mental health problems. The third of these was mentioned primarily with respect to the mental health problems believed to affect young and older people. No other specific aspect of health was raised, other than one person who commented: medical services and hospitals are stretched, we need more. Faith groups are much involved with practical aspects such as transport and visiting, but fewer attempt to give or arrange advice on health matters. There is scope here for health promotion partnerships, parish nursing and Home from Hospital schemes. Young people There were both specific and general concerns about young people s needs being unmet. One mentioned frequently is mental health support: Youth - PCC is dropping its support for Mental Health - massive need, no support. The second is that the lack of facilities for meeting and activities is leading to a number of problems, and this is exacerbated if youngsters are unemployed, and have no social life through work, nor money for expensive leisure pursuits. Comments in this respect included: More action required to assist young people in finding leisure activities they can afford. Huge unmet need e.g. youth clubs shut down recently, PCC ended funding. Not enough facilities for young people, so they hang around streets. Some vandalism. Would like to see after school clubs, Positive activities. Not much open space in locality. There needs to be much more done for young people (16 to 21). They are on the streets smoking and drinking. They need places to be, and to be engaged in the life of the city. A high level of teenage pregnancy was mentioned by one Pastor, who works in a school locally and has seen the problem. There is a Churches Together initiative of Inspirations Studio in partnership with PCC on detached youth work in the Hamptons where nothing has existed for years. Older people There were concerns about social isolation and depression, and again, the need for meeting places that are easy to reach e.g. Elderly but the local club in the village hall seems on the point of collapse for want of able volunteers. Room for expansion of services to elderly. Elderly residents would welcome specific activities which others run for them [near at hand] Elderly residents who become less mobile [need help]. No transport to village hall where there are good facilities. 15

18 Elderly people, growing need for mental health care. Ideal intervention point is after a funeral. Very vulnerable at times of bereavement and can t move on. One church had set up a weekly tea for those over 50 and had been inundated. Several churches do put on regular luncheon clubs for the elderly including Salvation Army, Park Road, Baptist, Bretton Baptist and others but there is still an unmet need. Migration and trafficking Given the high level of migration into Peterborough, few people made any comment about the needs of migrants, although one church (Chinese Christian) noted that they were often the first port of call for new arrivals. It could be that migrants access many of the services offered by faith groups, so are in fact beneficiaries, without being seen as a specific category of user. Most respondents saw the diversity as positive, saying [the area] has become increasingly multicultural and the diversity is good, not a problem but one referred to tensions due to new immigration and ascribed these to fear of unknown. One said, Peterborough is so diverse, it s not a community. Churches Together via their Community Group are active in the area of support for sex workers (providing clothes and toiletries) and befriending. The Salvation Army assists in repatriation schemes. However, the concerns and needs focussed not on migration generally, but on sex trafficking. Several respondents mentioned this as affecting the city centre, and one said, there are 46 houses for sex in city, mostly using trafficked women. Now it's off the streets, police are less worried but still just as bad. Finances, poverty and debt The needs associated with poverty were one of the two largest categories of perceived need highlighted by the survey: Needs related to poverty are growing, according to other Foodbank partners. [the needs are] among the poor and people with low income, especially youth. Support for those in financial difficulties. In particular, respondents saw the links between poverty and other problems, e.g. Unemployment and benefit dependency [leading to] low level addictions. Poverty and substance abuse. A number of respondents mentioned the particular need for debt advice, and also a lack of provision: Only three debt advice centres in whole city, long waiting lists. Debt advice, financial planning advice. There is some, but not enough. Strong need for money advice and job clubs. Support for young families increasingly needed especially Credit Unions to avoid them using payday lenders. Some faith groups are running financial advice services, which as they need specialist knowledge, were franchised from national charities. There was an aspiration amongst respondents to do this: Debt advice - don't know how to start it or get people trained. A Credit Union might help - it would be good to provide info on setting them up. Has the church done an info pack? Christians Against Poverty (CAP) has supported many churches and Credit Unions have been supported via churches. Only one faith group was running a project directly concerned with this matter: a local branch of Stop the Traffick, which is a national project. 16

19 Education No-one mentioned any needs relating to the mainstream schooling system, but respondents saw education in the round, as part of formation for life, and in this respect there is a need, as one person said, To educate people to encourage them to learn to take value-based responsibility for their thinking, attitude and behaviour so that they can live stress free and meaningful life. Particular needs were mentioned in respect to parenting support, language and literacy, and respondents noted the relation between language and integration issues: Big problems with language barriers. People do want to learn but don't have the facilities to start learning from scratch, and can't get childcare. [Language] Classes are at difficult times for people in catering trade, only free on Tuesdays. People from new communities, eg Somali, need help with skills and integration. There was also a suggestion: PCC needs to consider how they can use the space provided by faith groups and supply a peripatetic youth worker or tutor, to 'open up' buildings, run IT/literacy classes. Housing and homelessness The other main perception of need was associated with homelessness and housing; ten of the respondents specifically mentioned this. There was seen to be a high level of homelessness, and comments included: Rough sleeping, this is increasing we have made PCC aware but they do not recognise need especially for day facilities. Homelessness is the greatest concern - people on streets and coming in [to the faith premises]. One church had responded to the need for day facilities by offering a place to shower at set times. One person did say they wondered if the same people were being recycled between homelessness and sofa surfing. The perceived needs were not only associated with actual homelessness, but also with poor and overcrowded housing; three people spoke of multiple occupancy and renting as a problem, and one said: Need more housing of all types. Housing and homelessness services were seen as too short term, not integrated, and need overhaul. The resulting problems were mentioned 17

20 as including alcohol and drug addiction, and mental illnesses that were not being addressed. A joint project of seven churches with the council is due to start in 2015 with a pilot project in May to provide an overnight shelter for the homeless. Faith groups have worked together on the Hope into Action project, but it is a long term solution, and the need was identified for something between the very short term and the long term. Substance abuse Alcohol and drug dependency were mentioned quite frequently as problems in need of addressing, and as leading to anti-social behaviour and petty crime. Substance abuse was in most people s minds related to lack of youth facilities, poverty and homelessness, which is where the actual needs were seen to lie. Community integration No-one spoke specifically about a lack of community integration or a need to address any specific issue, but it was implied by the number of comments about loneliness being a significant problem, especially among the elderly and parents of very young children. Faith groups focused on these beneficiaries. The only other need associated with community integration, was that for language classes, as mentioned above, and for More assistance to vulnerable adults coming back into the community. Street crime, prostitution and burglary were cited as a problem by two people, Specific needs of faith groups Some respondents suggested that the ability of faiths to practice as they wished could be made easier. In some cases this was in terms of acquiring their own or larger premises: Premises/ venues that faith groups can use to publicise themselves and would be free or low cost, to reach out to the community. In others, it was to have their distinctiveness recognised: A better understanding from health staff is needed [concerning specific faith practices and artefacts]. Staff need to be educated so that they can afford the correct level of respect to such patients. This comment is not necessarily about the main Peterborough hospital, where the multifaith chaplaincy assists with such training. Meeting perceived needs In some cases, particularly the Hope into Action project on homelessness and the Foodbank addressing food poverty, faith groups are individually or collectively responding to the needs they see in society. Both these initiatives will be considered further in this report. Similarly, faith groups are already much concerned with the wellbeing of younger and older people, as could be seen by the breakdown of beneficiary groups, and some of the examples given in the quotations above. However, it also appears that some of the problems most worrying the respondents are not necessarily the ones that they as faith groups are currently addressing. There could be a number of reasons for this, to some extent explored through questions on constraints noted above, which indicate that lack of money and volunteers may prevent projects getting off the ground. But there may be other reasons, such as lack of leadership, and the belief that some types of service are too specialist or demanding and better left to experts: Expertise and leadership are needed, e.g. debt management, mental health. Desire to meet needs in the future We wished to know what type of projects and beneficiaries faith groups would like to help, where they were not currently doing so, and what relation their aspirations bore to their perceptions of, and to defined need. As one interviewee said: The needs are all growing. There are the challenges of reaching and supporting them [newcomers], making them feel welcome. We have family breakdown, homelessness, drugs and alcohol. There is a great need for the faith sector to do more. 18

21 Table 10: Number of Faith Groups and Types of Services they would like to run (62 Respondents) As can be seen by this bar chart, the areas in which faith groups are keen to make more provision relate directly to their perception of community needs: financial/debt services; homelessness; and the alleviation of loneliness. There is also an enthusiasm for language and literacy classes, which relates to the perception of these needs being directly related to community integration. Other aspirations may be lower down the chart for a number of reasons: they are already being undertaken (e.g. hospital and sick visiting); they are seen as specialist (e.g. housing advice, IT training); they require space or equipment (e.g. music, sports); or they are not seen as priorities. However, this can only be speculation. It is interesting that few faith groups give priority to environmental issues, given that Peterborough is the Environment City, and perhaps more could be done to engage their interest through the Peterborough Eco-Faith Network based in Churches Together in Central Peterborough. People may not have the time capacity nor see it as a pressing issue, and may regard it as marginal to immediate social concerns. Desire to assist beneficiaries in the future Respondents definitely wished to do more for groups with whom they were in contact, or whom they observed to be in need e.g. We would love to be able to provide community involvement such as homework clubs and parent and toddler groups. The breakdown of target beneficiaries for the future, who are not currently being assisted, is quite evenly spread, perhaps because the groups most perceived to be in need are also the ones 19

22 Table 11: Types of people communities would like to serve (60 Respondents) that are already being most helped (young and older people). The main target groups where faiths would like to do more are families, people improving their skills, and new immigrants, which reflects their belief in the need for more language and other life skills training. Community needs in Peterborough: the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment The most recent Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) for Peterborough is based on individual assessments and reports ranging in date from 2007 to 2012; it is available on the city council web site. As it is the most up to date information available on needs in the area, there follows a brief analysis for the purposes of comparison with the needs as perceived by faith groups. It must however, be borne in mind that some parts of the JSNA are up to eight years old and thus out of date, whereas all the faith perceptions have been gathered in 2014/15. It is also worth noting that the JSNA states that needs are not always as well understood as they might be, for example, where they are being met by non-statutory services, when people pay for their own social care. Also that averages refer across all the wards which, as has been noted, vary greatly on deprivation indices. Health and wellbeing Key points about Peterborough from the JSNA: Average on obesity and healthy eating in comparison to national figures Lower than average sport uptake Highest teenage pregnancy in region Higher than average suicide rate High ranking on NHS satisfaction Mental health problems more common in deprived and some BAME groups Mental health problems in South Asian women and Bangladeshi men likely to be underestimated Mental health problems 4 or 5 times higher in prison population Faith perceptions of need: Recognition of mental health problems, ascribing these to loneliness, poverty, lack of connectedness Low recognition of teenage pregnancy issues Few faith groups planning to provide health advice or sport activities Young people 20

23 Key points about Peterborough from the JSNA: Very high rate of children in need (top 10 per cent of all LAs) Young people believe they know how to access health and lifestyle advice Lack of knowledge about sex and contraception High on the poor dental care for children list, which is becoming a city priority. Faith perceptions of need: Awareness of children s needs and a main target group for services Older people Key points about Peterborough from the JSNA: High rate of hip fractures Good provision of extra care housing lowers need for residential care Social Services spending on independent living support is lower than average Faith perceptions of need: Awareness of older people s needs and a main target group for services Particular awareness of loneliness and difficulty in getting out to meet people Migration and trafficking Key points about Peterborough from the JSNA: Needs assessment (2008) highlighted requirement for much better provision of English as a Second Language More resources needed to improve social interaction Faith perceptions of need: High awareness of language problems creating isolation and lack of cohesion, and interest in providing these Recognition of trafficking problem, not mentioned in JSNA Finances, poverty and debt Key points about demand in Peterborough: PCC has set up the Peterborough Community Assistance Scheme delivered through voluntary sector partners to provide support to those in financial crisis; in two years it has dealt with 10,000 clients Faith perceptions of need: High awareness of poverty and related problems Pressing need for more financial advice and debt counselling Education Key points about Peterborough from the JSNA: Highest element (49 per cent) of city council spend is on education Behind national average on GCSE achievement Faith perceptions of need: Awareness of need for ESOL Issues around civic education Housing and homelessness Key points about Peterborough from the JSNA (note: 2008): Lower than average level of overcrowded housing High level (39 per cent) under-occupied Faith perceptions of need: High level of concern about homelessness Some concern about overcrowding and multiple renting View that housing issues create other problems 21

24 Substance abuse Key points about Peterborough from the JSNA: Average on alcohol problems Some individuals have many hospital admissions for alcohol abuse Higher than average on smoking Young people less likely to smoke or drink Rapidly growing substance misuse in some Eastern European groups Eastern European and Asian groups underrepresented in terms of treatment Need to make it easier for women to access drug treatment Faith perceptions of need: Recognition of substance abuse on the streets Belief that it may in part be caused by poverty and poor housing Belief that substance abuse leads to crime and poor integration Young carers Key points about Peterborough from the JSNA: High proportion in city Need to be identified and given more support, especially respite time Need a purpose-built centre currently meet at Carers Trust Fear they will be stigmatised Need interpreters, so they do not have to interpret for the adults in sensitive situations Comment: This group was not specifically mentioned by any faith interviewees, and there is room here for faiths to assist with provision. A partnership with a passion for children s welfare When Karolina Krzywdzinska came to Peterborough in 2009 from Poland she brought great experience of working with children, and more importantly, a vision to make life easier and happier for families. When she and her partner spotted the St Paul s Church Hall and its potential, they contacted the minister Ron Watkinson, and suggested it could be the perfect nursery for the little ones of New England. Miraculously, this was exactly what Ron had been thinking himself, and now he had found the perfect partner for the enterprise. For both Karolina, a Muslim and Ron, a Christian, creating a safe, happy place for children of all backgrounds and beliefs was a critical part of living and expressing their own faiths. As Karolina says, God brought us together. Now the church hall has been transformed into the lively, colourful ZigZag Nursery, a social enterprise whose profits are invested back into it, enabling those who couldn t otherwise afford it can get very high quality care to OFSTED standards. The money to get the ball rolling came from fundraising and donations by the St Paul s congregation, and City Councillor Pam Kreling helped secure funding for materials. The premises were brought to life by people working on the Community Payback scheme, using their skills and at the same time re-connecting with the community as they saw how much it meant to local people. 114 under-fives are currently enrolled, and together with the staff and apprentices, who are trained on the premises, they share their faiths, festivals and thanks for the blessings of health and family: A wonderful work of integration, Ron says. This Easter (2015) will mark the 3rd Anniversary of the opening of the Day Nursery. 22

25 FAITH ASSETS Faith and social capital Following the publication in 2008 of the seminal book by Robert Putnam, Bowling Alone, the concept of social capital as the bonds that draw and hold people together, has become widely understood and valued. Faiths make a critical contribition to this community asset (see Appendix A) People The projects run by faith groups rely on substantial volunteering; in this respect leaders and members of faith groups play an important community role, but this should not overshadow the other types of contribution that they make: in terms of local knowledge, expertise, networking, building relationships, and advocating for vulnerable people and those in need. This survey did not attempt to get indicative figures for volunteering hours and equivalent cost; this exercise has been undertaken in the past as part of similar surveys, but tends to yield figures that are hard to defend, as it is rarely clear where volunteering begins and ends in a congregation, and attaching the minimum wage to hours donated does not reflect real value. However, projects such as the Foodbank will have valid figures on volunteering hours, which can be used to demonstrate contribution to society. Premises Table 12 Number of Faith Organisation with Own Premises (70 Respondents) Most faith groups have their own premises, and are aware of the potential asset to the community that they represent. From conducting interviews on premises, I got the impression that they are generally well used, with social activities much in evidence. St John s is an example of a church that is opening its building to an increasing range of users. Some groups take payment for rental (but not at market rate) or contributions to heating and other costs; others may not, representing a hidden cost to their faith group: Not many community meeting spaces and so we make sure [ours] are well used for all types of event. We don't take payment for these. In other cases, premises may not be suitable without expenditure, or for all types of use: Church has great resources especially physical assets. Need the money to convert them for community use. We have got a large building that is often underutilised and not usually offered to other communities due to prohibitions such as the use of alcohol, tobacco and meat on the site. 23

26 Faith groups that do not have their own space, worship on the premises of other groups, not necessarily of the same faith, but this restricts their activities and they may welcome an alternative: Need space supplied by the local authority that could be used for joint community activities, for own worship and for community services such as a lunch club for elderly. Funding As indicated by the analysis of how projects are funded, faith groups running them are primarily drawing on money provided by their own congregation. In some cases, this is readily forthcoming, for example: For carols outside, the Church pays for everything including refreshments, with donations from congregation. Whether or not congregations struggle to provide funding, they are clearly doing so at a sufficient level to sustain significant social activity, given how little funding is coming from elsewhere. 24

27 Partnership working We wanted to assess the extent and nature of partnership working on community projects, and also to gain an insight into how this mode of delivery might have wider effects on relationships and achievements. Respondents were therefore asked to note (up to four) projects on which they worked with one or more partners, and also to note other types of relationship, such as information sharing, memberships and so on. We also asked about the opportunities to work with partners that may be welcome in the future, and any challenges encountered. 57 respondents answered this question, of whom over 60 per cent were working on at least one joint project or had an active relationship with other groups at a local or national level. Faith groups working together Groups had a variety of links with others from the same faith tradition. In some cases, such as Baptist and Church of England, this was in terms of meeting with those from the same denomination to keep updated informally, run events or outreach together. There are a number of local linking organisations bringing together different denominations of the Christian Churches, (but not all of them belong to all such bodies), e.g. CROPS (Christian Opportunities in Peterborough Schools), Churches Together in Central Peterborough. These enable the faiths to speak together, as well as exchange information, but one respondent expressed concern that there were too many Christian groups diluting effort and taking up time. There are also projects that link churches into specific activities such as The Light Project, Street Pastors, City Centre Chaplaincy, Hope4Peterborough, FoodBank and Inspirations Studio. There is another level of partnership working, which happens through looser networking, but is also important. The Communities Group of Churches Together in Central Peterborough is a good example, whereby an informal, citywide network is linked by and individual relationships, and achieves one-off projects such as a regularly updated Directory of Social Support that has been distributed to churches. Network Peterborough has similarly been able to provide stimulus and support to groups offering social action. Mosques are linked together locally on practical matters such as the timing of Eid, and to speak with one voice to media and the public sector on community matters such as the EDL marches, or how to address social issues like trafficking. Mosques also held seminars together to learn more about other faiths. Depending on denomination, some churches had formal links at regional level, such as with the Diocese, the Catholic Deanery, The Cambridgeshire Chinese Christian Churches, Baptist, Methodist and URC. There were relationships and memberships at national level, including the main Christian denominations e.g. The Baptist Union, the Evangelical Alliance, The Bible Society, Crown Christian Heritage Trust, Methodist and URC. There are also two Christian-based national franchises that are active in Peterborough: The Trussell Trust supporting the Foodbank (considered further below) and Christians Against Poverty, who provide a model and materials for money management and debt advice that is used by two churches who responded. Street Pastors and city centre chaplaincy also link christian denominations. The Jewish national organisation Mitzvah Day was responsible for the local Liberal community supporting the Peterborough Foodbank through a team of volunteers. National Holocaust Memorial Day, mentioned by a number of respondents, brings together people from all faiths annually, of which one person said: Learning about other people s suffering creates empathy and encourages us to be more positive to each other. 25

28 However, there was very little multifaith working, that is, different faith groups coming together to provide for the common good. Two projects in Peterborough are distinctive in drawing in a number of worshipping communities; one is Hope into Action, which does not currently envisage any links with non-christian groups and the other is the Foodbank, which has one Muslim distribution centre and has volunteers from a variety of faiths. There has been joint funding raising initiatives between Christian and Muslim youth groups for Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall, the local hospice. This situation largely reflects the UK as a whole, as far as can be ascertained, with few multifaith service delivery projects, and still fewer that are run by multifaith committees. The exception is where a scheme such as Near Neighbours, Faith in Action or the Faith Communities Capacity Building Fund intervenes to support and stimulate the concept. Near Neighbours does not cover Peterborough, and FiA and FCCBF were grantfunded by the previous government and ceased when it went out of office. Whether there are benefits from multifaith delivery, and what these are, it is not yet possible to say. Similarly, there is not a great deal of interfaith dialogue, other than that which happens through Peterborough Inter Faith Council (PIFC) as described below. One respondent noted that, In meeting challenge of first EDL march, we started from a low level of relationships and another, When you do something together, you begin to build relationships would like to see faith groups asking each other to significant events. There is a renewed programme of reciprocal visits between churches and mosques in 2015 and organised events to share key issues that concern each faith. Faith groups and the third sector Respondents reported working with national charities (secular and faith-based) on a local level. This was primarily either to run or assist a particular group, or to raise funds for a chosen cause. An example of the former would be a church that has set up a Friendship Club jointly with Age Concern, and another that lends a room to Parkinsons UK; and an example of the latter would be a mosque that supports the Sue Ryder Home through fundraising. There is no single project in Peterborough that links faith and other third sector groups in delivery; although some faith groups belong to Peterborough Community Assistance Scheme. Nor are most of the groups aware of the information and guidance available to them from PCVS in running community projects, as of 54 respondents answering the question, only 14 were PCVS members. Table 13 membership of PVCS by respondent numbers. 26

29 Faith groups and the public sector There were various types of relationships with PCC. Several faith groups, some involved in Hope into Action, said that they exchanged information on homelessness with PCC. One was involved in running a pre-school group, one mentioned getting advice from officers on running events, and one said that working with councillors to get support for events had been very productive. There was also mention of PCC s support for Rainbow Savers Credit Union, which provides an important alternative to pay day lenders, as well as encouraging saving. However, there was no general recognition of PCC as a source of information, nor as an intermediary for making contact with the third or public sector. There was also some implied criticism of PCC, in terms of not working with faith groups to help the church build community in new settlements eg in the Hamptons: Infrastructure is not keeping up, we had to take all the responsibility ourselves and in terms of lack of aspiration: PCC sees community cohesion as preventing flare-ups but it should be much more than this. CTiCP are currently linking with PCC over planned community provision and community building in new Hampton Leys and Great Haddon to avoid a repeat of the early Hampton developments. Some groups worked very locally with Parish Councils to run events eg fetes. Seven respondents specifically mentioned working with the Police, and implied a positive relationship. They talked about cooperating in preparation for the EDL marches, about trying to prevent crime, child exploitation and terrorism through information sharing, and particularly reducing anti-social behaviour through Street Pastors. One person said: The PCSOs are a good group to work with. The main interaction with the NHS was through hospital chaplaincy, and similarly with HMPs through prison chaplaincy. Both are multifaith and statutory, using volunteers from various faiths to visit hospitals and prisons. Others visit in an individual capacity. One faith group was running six health awareness seminars a year, led by NHS doctors. The multifaith Chaplaincy at the Regional College and UCP are linked with the Chaplaincy at Anglia Ruskin. A number of respondents spoke of having good relationships with schools and colleges, usually because they had been asked to provide speakers about their faith tradition, or had offered to. Some hosted visits to their places of worship. There was generally a keenness to engage with schools and young people. 27

30 One respondent mentioned an involvement with the Peterborough Racial Equality Council, and this raises the possibility of more interaction between faiths and PREC. Interfaith organisations Broadly speaking, interfaith refers to the concept of people from different faiths meeting and organising events to learn from one another about their beliefs, to share knowledge and foster understanding; multifaith refers to the concept of different faiths working together to achieve a common goal or provide a social service. There is considerable overlap between the two, and it can be argued that both lead to better community cohesion. There is currently one active interfaith group in Peterborough: The Peterborough Inter Faith Council (PIFC), which has been established for over 30 years. It organises two main events every year, a Faiths and Foods Festival in the Town Hall with the support of PCC, and a UN Children s Day event in the Cathedral. In 2012 the Faiths Community Network (originally called the Faiths Cohesion Network) was formed, with the support of PCC, and the intention of faiths working together to address social challenges, as well as providing a point of contact on civic issues. This body has ceased any activity at present, mainly it would seem as no-one had the time to devote to it. It is essential for local inter faith groups, which may rightly be assisted with venues and administration by the public sector, nevertheless to retain their independence, and the problem can be for individuals to find time to run an organisation unless they are employed and backed by their faith group; as one person who had been involved with FCN said: There s no short cut. It needs a lot of time for someone to take a leadership role, and who should do it? Who has responsibility? Two respondents (one non-christian) suggested that the Cathedral had potential to act as a broker between secular authorities and minority faiths, and the Church of England may agree in principle, with a desire to serve the world beyond the congregation. But this role takes time, resources and prioritising, which the Cathedral may not be able to offer. One of the main stimuli mentioned for forming new interfaith relationships were the EDL marches, although these immediate links were formed ad hoc to meet the need rather than on a lasting basis. This unity was nevertheless valuable, and helped the police deal with the marches. Achievements of working in partnership Most people saw the achievements of their community work in general terms, which is to be expected as it is very hard to evaluate and measure these sort of outcomes (in fact, the Near Neighbours project is currently working with Coventry University to develop suitable metrics). People therefore on the one hand, spoke of social benefits such as the alleviation of hunger, helping people at risk or suicidal, keeping the neighbourhood cleaner; or on the other of religious benefits such as new worship initiatives. They also spoke of stronger communities and improved understanding. One pastor noted that forming relationships with other faith groups was critical for his church getting established in the city. There were also some very specific achievements noted: A Hope into Action partner: Keeping two tenants off drugs and out of prison A Street Pastors supporter: Crime reduction of 5 per cent A group working with PCSOs: Litter reduction A church affiliated to Jacob s Group: It s unusual to serve this group [people with learning disabilities], so it s an achievement to keep it going. A group providing debt advice through Christians Against Poverty: 18 families debt free in 2013, with 230,000 of debt cleared or paid off; nine families debt free so far in 2014 with 300,000 of debt cleared or paid off. 28

31 Opportunities, challenges and constraints of partnership working This report has already considered some of the constraints on faith groups running projects, and the opportunities presented by their assets, knowledge and desire to serve. Insofar as joint working is concerned, there was a mixture of positivity because good relationships are desirable but some doubt about what partnership with other faith groups (whether the same faith or different) or with other types of organisation could achieve. A mosque president said: We [gain success] by finding common ground and goals and working to achieve them, and a member of another mosque: Very few challenges encountered with other groups. Politics and points of contention are avoided in order to focus on positives and common goals. Most of the positive comments about partnership working focussed on improved relationships and information-sharing rather than changed outcomes for projects. One person said working together Promotes community cohesion reduces potential for conflict, and another, It creates stronger community and a third, It helps people [from our faith group] look outward and feel more part of Peterborough. The main advantages of a number of faith groups (in these cases all Christian) coming together, was to provide critical mass for larger projects such as the Foodbank, Hope into Action or Inspirations Studio and SPARX youth work to take off. However, there was also some doubt about the amount of impact cooperation could have: Partnerships don t really achieve anything, the city remains ghetto-ised, said a Christian minister. In fact, both are probably true: that there is good work going on, but there could be more, and it could be more effective. Yes No With a secular body 82% 18% With a group of their own faith 88% 12% With a group of another faith 68% 32% Table 13 Willingness to run projects in partnership There is in general a high degree of willingness to work with other organisations, for a number of reasons: sharing information and assets, reaching the people in need more effectively, and avoiding silo working: It would be good to learn what other faith groups have done to attract the youth, as this is an area we are lacking in. Also [want to] learn from other faiths how they run projects, get funding etc. People of other faiths are often very good neighbours, looking out for the elderly, and this can be an opportunity. However, those with an appetite for partnership with other faiths felt held back not knowing how to locate groups with a similar interest: Don t know how to find people of other faiths. A list online, kept up to date, would be hugely valuable. 29

32 We want to make the contacts, but not sure how. The other constraints on partnership working were again and again defined as lacks: of time, money, resources, information. The deficits were generally felt by the faith groups themselves, but occasionally in relation to potential partners, specifically PCC and the Police. One person said they would have liked to host SureStart, but it was too expensive. There was also realism about the possibility of partners having different agendas. For one this was a disincentive: Starting from different cultural assumptions would delay things. For others, it was a hurdle to be overcome: We would have to make sure values were aligned, but this would apply to any partner. One church leader noted the need to nurture relationships in the community as a way of being more part of it: Otherwise the church is still seen as authority. Another said that it was Easier to work with people of other faiths than those who do not acknowledge any belief system or world view. What several believed was required, was a hook project, that various faith groups could relate to and want to get together to promote, and that could be instigated by PCC and supported by them to get off the ground, as it would need leadership and money. Such a project is suggested in the final section. Faith groups saw some very significant potential roles for PCC, both in terms of bringing faiths together, and also as a partner with faith communities. However, there was also criticism of the apparent failure by PCC to fulfil these roles as well as it might. Local government can support faith work by providing information, make outreach easier (Baptist minister). There were also suggestions that PCC could share expertise and support: More advice and support from PCC would be desirable both funding and expertise would be very much appreciated (mosque committee member) Churches have numbers of people but not the knowledge. PCC should supply this, working in partnership (Baptist minister) [Faith groups] give PCC the information they need on growth communities, so they can cater for them (RC minister). Respondents were realistic about the difficulty of providing money, and made numerous references to cutbacks, especially on youth work, but the concerns were that local government was slow to spot opportunities, or respond to faith innovations: Would like PCC to do more for faiths especially being quicker to respond [in this case with a match funding decision] (Hindu Chair) Government does not support or appreciate what faiths do, especially Christians e.g. planning permission [for a community facility] - PCC turned it down at an exploratory stage (Independent Christian minister) The Mosque currently receives no support from PCC in its endeavours what we have already achieved should indicate to PCC what more could be done (mosque committee member) PCC doesn t pick up on funding available (Christian minister) Peterborough politicians very laissez faire, but not the officers. No political will to grasp the nettle of immigration and deprivation. (Christian minister) The desire for PCC to act as a linking and information hub was expressed in various ways: PCC can and should provide ways for faiths to meet and discuss issues that affect community (Independent Christian minister) PCC needs to explain to faith groups in what ways they can work together (mosque committee member) 30

33 The role of faith groups in Greater Peterborough How faith groups see their role Faith plays a critical and arguably unique role in Peterborough, and we wanted to understand how religious groups themselves see this, and what they believe is important and distinctive. We therefore asked: How do you see your group s role in the wider life of Peterborough? The answers were given (as narrative quotations) by 45 respondents, some of whom named more than one role. Broadly speaking, their responses can be categorised as follows. Role Meeting social need/providing community services Part of the community/bringing people together/a hub Number A number used the phrase the common good, and believed they contributed to this. This is a phrase originally used by the Roman Catholic church to describe the basic inclusivity of sharing what it is to be human together in one created world, and also links to the notion of faith capital (see Appendix A). In fact, one of the most distinctive aspects of the faith offering, is that it combines rather than separates the spiritual and the material contribution. Hence there were answers such as: We share the life of the community and share God's presence. We are good at providing practical and spiritual help. Showing love of God through service. Providing worship and spiritual space 6 Providing spiritual and pastoral care/reaching out to community Promoting understanding of our faith/of God s love Providing assets (buildings, knowledge, leadership) Supporting other charities 2 Table 14: Perceptions of own roles (45 respondents) Any observations about these responses need to take into account that some respondents chose to answer with a single, most important aspect of their role, while others mentioned anything from two to four aspects as of equal importance. For example, all in fact provide worship facilities, but only six mentioned this, either because they thought it was assumed to be the case, or because they saw other roles as of more community importance. 31

34 The interrelationship between temporal and spiritual life was made clear in some answers: [We are] Part of the spiritual life of the city providing part of the physical infrastructure to do this, which is very important, and the mosque is a symbol. People can then become more responsible members of society as individuals, we live in a world of cause and effect, and no-one is isolated. The city is a wheel, we are one of its spokes. A number of people also talked specifically about speaking up for those who were vulnerable or marginalised, using their civic role to advocate for others. No faith groups answering this question wished to be isolated from the wider community, but some felt that they were, and the explanations given were all concerned with geography: [Our role is] very limited. The re-routed village bus service takes so long to reach Peterborough that it is not well used. The village hall [nearest to the church] is geographically distant, run by the council and not seen by them as a partner for social outreach. Quite isolated, and so focused on own small agenda. Would like to provide more youth ministry, but rather geographically isolated - would like more links with other non-central churches. Faiths and public policy We were keen to ascertain how faith groups view the wider landscape in which they have a role and presence, as this will affect where they see need and the ways in which they feel free to address it, or held back by political attitudes. It was notable that faiths felt they were not only free to practice as they wished, but were encouraged to do so a matter that may be taken for granted, but that remains something of which the UK and Peterborough can be proud. One minority faith talked of support from the government to be who they are, and another of the importance of anti-discrimination policy and inclusiveness. The only concern was that policy on gay marriage may affect the freedom to worship as we see fit. However, there were reservations about the effects of specific policies. One concern centred on Prevent, a government instigated and funded programme to reduce terrorism and radicalisation; and to locate potential sources of terrorist violence. This was seen by Muslims, other minorities, and Christians alike to have eroded trust over the years and to put undue emphasis on one faith, both in terms of skewed funding and also of generating suspicion about working with Muslims. Anti-terrorism laws had exacerbated this, promoting the myth that Islam encourages 32

35 terrorism. The opposite side of this coin was an irritation with the apparent sidelining of other faiths, and the unfounded assumption that other faiths and all churches were in decline. Policies arising from austerity are also seen as affecting the community, and hence the response of faith groups to needs: Welfare reform has had a massive impact, increasing the number of people needing voluntary assistance (Foodbank partner) The single benefit payment will impact the church s work on debt advice (provider of CAP services) Welfare Reform policy this plays a big part in increased need can often be that they ve been sanctioned or there is a delay in getting their money (Foodbank partner) There was a feeling that the more that is required of faith groups to help the Government fill service gaps, the less support they actually got: Salvation Army had Winter Warmth funding but Government ended the money for this (Salvation Army Christian minister) Huge amount more is needed due to Government cuts to individuals and voluntary sector (CofE Christian minister) Faiths are part of fabric of volunteering and should be more supported by government, we need clearer lead from national government [encouraging funding] Independent Christian minister). This was also true of government policy on interfaith, with more asked of it in terms of promoting integration but little support forthcoming for it: On the surface there seems to be a lot of encouragement for faiths to work together but Government does not really encourage interfaith (Hindu temple committee member) There s less interfaith resource from government (CofE Christian minister) Government talks a lot about faith relations and think they understand all about it Britain is one of the most tolerant countries, but they still don t understand the service provided by immigrants (mosque committee member) Government gives out messages about cohesion, but they don t really listen (Sikh Gurdwara member) There s a lot of work to be done here [on interfaith]. Government isn t listening (CofE Christian minister). 33

36 THE WAY AHEAD Summary of findings The faith audit The response rate has been 59 per cent (71 out of 120 valid groups) The response rate broadly reflects the proportion of faith traditions in the Greater Peterborough wards Faith presence and assets There are currently 120 worshipping groups in Greater Peterborough, but the number is fluid due to growth, cessations and mergers The majority of worshipping communities have fewer than 100 people 76 per cent have been established for over 10 years Many faith groups own their premises Some groups have a good volunteer base Faith-based social activity There is a wide variety of community services being provided by faith groups, with more emphasis on those that do not require specialist knowledge or facilities There is a wide variety of beneficiaries, with an emphasis on children, youth and older people Three fifths of projects are funded by faith groups themselves Assessing and meeting social needs Faiths perceive the greatest needs as related to poverty, debt, homelessness and poor housing They also see language as a barrier to integration, in particular the provision of ESOL needs to be improved The faith perception of need in the area does not necessarily reflect the JSNA reports on need There is an appetite on the part of many faith groups to provide more for the community The main constraints are: lack of money, lack of volunteer time, information deficit Not all constraints apply to all groups, and there is scope to ameliorate them Partnership working and other relationships A number of local and national bodies link faith-based projects There is a willingness to work with partners, the benefits are seen as community cohesion and information sharing There is no resource to encourage multifaith delivery Partnership working is held back by lack of information, time and money Some faith groups and projects work with the public sector, but there is no structured support to encourage this Most interfaith dialogue occurs through PIFC The role of faith groups Faith groups see their main roles as: meeting social need; supporting spiritual life; promoting the common good 34

37 Suggestions for the future Suggestions for general consideration The Near Neighbours scheme would meet a number of Peterborough s demands re. bringing faiths together at grass roots level; enabling small but significant projects to get off the ground; providing pump-priming funds and expertise. A coalition of faiths and public sector could make a bid to have the scheme extended to Peterborough (such a bid was successful for Luton, not originally one of the target areas). A hook project could draw faith groups together if it were designed for Peterborough and not reliant on an external franchise. This project would need to be based on the type of services and assets that faith groups can provide; apply to a variety of cultural and geographic communities; be suitable for support by PCC; and already be identified as an area of need One such project could be designed around the requirements of Young Carers, as these have already been researched, and fit the criteria above; this would need to be linked to and enhance the current work with Young Carers Peterborough Regional College, faith groups and PCC could work together to deliver ESOL at times and places where the uptake would be higher, using peripatetic teachers on faith premises, and faith community publicity channels Create a pot of small grants, independently administered, for travel, equipment and events that will help projects at their start, or when they hit a rough patch and are in danger of ending. This should address the practical problems of securing accountability without disproportionate paperwork or onerous conditions, but using models already available Map out the location of community premises suitable as meeting spaces for youth and older people, so that public sector and faith groups can use these, and faith groups can benefit more from owning them and afford their upkeep; this needs to be provided handin-hand with free advice on optimum usage (perhaps from PCC planning department or an arrangement with Business in the Community) where there are restrictions on how the premises can be used Faiths should be more involved in the planning process on new housing developments to ensure community provision Suggestions for faith groups to consider The high number of faith groups providing hospital and sick visiting could be extended into Parish Nursing and/or be used to gather information about the whereabouts of vulnerable people in case of an emergency The willingness of faith groups for school and community liaison offers wider possibilities in terms of promoting understanding, and could provide the basis of a project with PRC to coordinate faith literacy training across Geater Peterborough How the Christians Against Poverty materials and support could be adapted for use by other faith groups keen to offer money management advice Whether it is possible to exchange and lend volunteers: some groups say that have a good supply, others have too few 35

38 Enjoying the Summer in New England For the last 9 years, the multiethnic communities who live in the New England and Millfield areas of Peterborough have been able to enjoy a free Fun Afternoon event on a Saturday in June on a local recreation ground. An alliance of 4 local Christian Churches organise it; the Salvation Army, Harris Street Open Door Baptist Church, Peterborough International Christian Fellowship and the local Church of England Parish Church of St Paul s. Each church provides a BBQ team, cooking beef burgers and sausages which are enjoyed, including a vegetarian option. Bouncy castles; music; gospel choir, face painting, cricket and new in 2014, Dave the Clown are amongst the activities. Some years the local MP has made a visit to join the hundreds that turn up. The Fun Afternoon is for people of all faiths and no faith, everything is free, it s our way of expressing God s care for all of us. And we certainly do get a wonderful attendance each year, rain or shine, says Rev Ron Watkinson, minister of St Paul s. We are thankful for the dedicated few who do the organising behind the scenes in the months prior, and to all the volunteers who help set up the tents, etc on the day. Each church contributes financially for the purchase of food and entertainment, augmented by a match funding grant in 2014, and a grant from Network Peterborough for each of the last 3 years. Address how knowledge and good practice can best be shared with other faith groups pro-actively by those with the best resources and track record, perhaps by making open invitations through PIFC for others to visit and discuss issues such as engaging youth, finding funding Suggestions for Peterborough City Council to consider Instigate and support, in consultation with faith groups, a mechanism to pool information between faith groups (a Faith Communities Exchange ), maybe hosted by PCVS. This should not demand that actual meetings be held, but could be more than a web site e.g. also regular alerts Instigate and support, in consultation with faith groups, a way of sharing with them the assets it has in terms of expertise, financial management, insurance arrangements and knowledge Broker partnerships between faith groups and other public bodies eg NHS, Police, Peterborough Regional College such that faith premises can be used for health promotion, civic matters and so on, not just as hired halls, but as co-hosted events Provide more support to PIFC, consulting with it to agree what is needed and where resources would be most effective, so that it can extend its offering and act more as broker of information and contacts, as well as a facilitator of dialogue Provide coordination and assistance with funding applications for projects and groups 36