On Wednesday 11th February, more than 100 partners from a wide range of faith and non-faith backgrounds gathered for the Slough Community Forum at the JMIC Welfare Centre. The event, hosted by Slough CVS, focused on strengthening relationships across faith and community groups and exploring the creation of a new Faith Compact between local partners, Slough Borough Council, and the wider community.
The forum featured a series of inspiring contributions from civic and community leaders, including Slough Borough Council CEO Will Tuckley, Cllr Puja Bedi and Rob Deeks.
A respected panel of faith leaders from across Slough also shared their perspectives, comprising of Shaista Khan from JMIC, Meera Javid of Brahma Kumaris Slough, Khalid Abdullah from Soka Gakkai UK, Mark Johnson of St John the Baptist Church, and Sukhvir Singh of Guru Maneyo Granth Gurdwara.
Asma Aziz, CEO of Slough CVS, said: “We are excited to build on our discussions, promoting interfaith understanding and community cohesion.”
Niamh Harrison from Younger People with Dementia reflected on the event’s impact: “It was an incredibly empowering and insightful session, giving lots to be optimistic about with the compact going forward!”
Catherine Glossop, Head of Strategy, Insight & Performance at Slough Borough Council, added: “A huge thank you to everyone who attended and contributed, and to Asma and James for running such a unifying and uplifting event.”
Panellist Khalid Abdullah shared: “Felt honoured to be invited to the panel and really enjoyed the day. I am really excited about the compact going forward and have great hopes for it, and look forward to working with you again in the near future.”
Panellist Mark Johnson was delighted to step in: “It was a pleasure, I really enjoyed the day. If there is anything I can help with in the future please let me know.”
Panellist Sukhvir Singh concluded: “It was really useful and I think everyone got a lot out of it. I know it takes a lot of work to get these things done and it’s sometimes a thankless task but the results will speak for themselves I’m sure.”
The event marked an important step towards deeper collaboration, mutual understanding, and a shared commitment to strengthening community cohesion across Slough.
Slough Faith Compact Microgrants
Slough Faith Compact- Microgrant Guidance document- February 2026