What drew you to interfaith work and Building Bridges Burnley specifically?

I started working for Building Bridges in 2008 when I moved up from Buckinghamshire. I'd never done anything like it before and essentially went along for a job. I really enjoyed working for them and their project as it was then—a schools project called 'The Bridge'. When the funding ran out and I was made redundant, I continued volunteering because I genuinely enjoyed working with the people. Over the last five or six years particularly, I've enjoyed it more as I've become more involved with the community. While I'm not a person of faith myself, it's wonderful to meet these people who are so passionate about their beliefs, and I really appreciate that. Regarding parents who don't want their children to experience different faiths, I've always believed that my children should be able to experience all faiths—it's very much 'each to their own' in my view.

What's your personal connection to Burnley and its diverse communities?

While I don't live in Burnley itself, I've grown to really like the town. When I moved here from Bristol—which has always been very diverse culturally, where I went to school with people from many different backgrounds—I found it quite interesting how segregated things were. After joining the army, where you work with people from all walks of life, I was surprised to find very separate white and Asian communities that didn't really mix, especially in church settings. It wasn't racism, but more of a 'they're all right if they keep themselves to themselves' attitude, which I found quite shocking. I'd assumed that being in a northern town, it would be more integrated and multicultural, but it wasn't. However, I can see there's a much better mix now, and I really like Burnley—I've met some wonderful people through my work here.