It was a warm and sunny afternoon for the Altrincham Interfaith Group’s Tea Party
and about 60 people from all different faiths came to Blessed Thomas Holford’s
Catholic College Sixth Form café to mingle and chat together while sharing delicious
sandwiches and cakes. We were also pleased to welcome Connor Rand, the MP for
Altrincham and Sale West who has previously connected with AIG and expressed
interest in interfaith work.
The event began with a warm welcome from Ann Angel, newly elected Chair of AIG,
who expressed her pleasure that so many people attended despite the tensions and
pressures of world-wide conflict and emphasised how important it was for people to
interact and get to know each other, thus promoting mutual understanding. She then
introduced the Mayor of Trafford, Councillor Jane Brophy, who said a few words
about the importance of good interfaith relations and how pleased she was to be
invited to this event. Representatives from the Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and
Baha’i faiths then each recited a short blessing. Tea was then served and guests
were able to speak with one another and our special guests.
Towards the end of the afternoon, Dominique D’Arcy, Vice-Chair of AIG, introduced
the guest speaker Rev Dr Andrew Knight, Vicar of Bowdon Parish, who gave a
thought-provoking address entitled “Beneath the Surface: Unlocking the Depths of
Spiritual Blessing”, He explained how blessings were an important and integral part
of daily life in all faiths, which was a very appropriate topic for the afternoon. Ann
Angel then ran through the events of the past year followed by Dominique who
previewed what AIG has planned for the future. Then it was “all hands on deck” to
clear away the tea things, say our goodbyes and return to our homes after what
everyone agreed had been an extremely successful afternoon.
We are most grateful to everybody who brought sandwiches and cakes and for the
kind generosity to Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College for allowing us to use
their lovely premises. We would also like to give special thanks to the two pupils from
the school who did everything possible to help the afternoon go smoothly.