Faith Action Executive Director Speaks at Southampton Faith Covenant Signing

Faith Action Executive Director, Daniel Singleton was amongst the speakers at the signing of The Southampton Council of Faiths and Southampton City Council signed the ‘All Parliamentary Group on Faith Society’s (APPG)’ ‘Faith Covenant’. The covenant was first signed in 2017 and this was a recommitment to the covenant and a further discussion on how it can be implemented in the South Coast city.

Southampton is one of the cities identified for investment by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and this event was part of a grant programme from the Department called Faith New Deal. Other speakers at the event included Bishop of Southampton, Debbie Sellin, Council Leader, Satvir Kaur and Chair of the Muslim Council, Parvin Damani MBE.

At the event, Daniel said, ‘In the same way that a dog is not just for Christmas, so faith is not just for in a crisis’. He challenged those present to not just look back on how faith communities played their part during the pandemic, but also to build strong, ongoing connections with all parts of society to help tackle issues such as health inequality, domestic violence, or mental health needs in the community. He said, ‘We will need to unlock the potential of every part of our society to contribute towards solutions. We believe that one important resource can be realised by supporting faith-based organisations to work with local authorities constructively and effectively, as part of civil society.’

The covenant was signed by representatives of the seven faiths in Southampton and by leaders from Southampton City Council.