A day-long ‘Ramadan experience’ event organised by Rotherham Hospice ended in a community iftar meal at a local primary school last Thursday.
About 300 people attended the evening meal, which Ian Tankard, the Executive Headteacher of Coleridge Primary School, said was a “genuinely magical event that highlighted our community’s warmth, respect and inclusivity”.
The Ramadan experience day, which was the second of its kind, was organised by Mirban Hussain, the EDI lead at Rotherham Hospice, a role which is partly centred around community outreach.
He said: “Part of my role is about raising awareness across all communities, to break down barriers and show how a hospice can support them.
“I’m wanting to build relationships between the communities and the hospice itself.”
The Ramadan experience day is one in a long list of diverse community-focused events that Mr Hussain, and the hospice, have organised, which include a Lunar New Year celebration, pride celebrations, and an upcoming Holi Festival.
Acknowledging cultural and religious events is something the hospice focuses on in order to strengthen community relationships, with mutually beneficial results.
“These events help people feel seen and respected at very vulnerable moments,” he said.
The day began with a pre-dawn suhoor meal and guided tour at the Jamia Masjid Abu Bakr Mosque on Russel Street in Rotherham, which was attended by 18 people, including doctors and healthcare professionals.
Mr Hussain said including a judgement-free question-and-answer session allowed attendees to ask questions that could help them to understand more about the culture and beliefs of their patients.
The attendees were invited to keep the fast throughout the day, but with no compulsion to do so, which Mr Hussain referred to as a chance to “experience Ramadan in more than abstract terms”.
The decision to break the fast in a local primary school was a change from last year’s event which was hosted in a second mosque.
Mr Hussain said: “It helped us to engage with certain members of the community, who may have barriers to accessing healthcare, it means they can talk to a friend, talk to a schoolteacher, and the hospice can support them.”
As well as acting as community outreach, the event provided an opportunity for the children and adults of the community to share in a meal that was provided jointly by the school and hospice.
Mr Tankard said: “The atmosphere was calm, joyful and deeply respectful, and it was wonderful to see so many people coming together at the end of the day to break fast as one community.”
The staff volunteered, and decorated the hall, and Mr Tankard said: “The countdown to sunset and breaking fast together was a powerful and moving moment for many with a Imam reading a Duua.”
The school are also using a key aspect of Ramadan, Zakat, which means charity, to partner with the hospice to support the compassionate work they do within the local community.
The Executive Headteacher said: “Our aim is simply to raise awareness and offer families the opportunity to donate voluntarily if they wish, through activities taking place later in the term.
Our focus is on strengthening community understanding and supporting a cause that aligns with the spirit of generosity during Ramadan.”
Mr Hussain said that hosting the iftar event in the school not only aligned with the values of Ramadan, which are more than visible fasting, and that include reflection, patience and togetherness, but also with his inclusion work with the hospice.
“This is not about imposing practice, it is about compassion, empathy, cultural humility, and creating space,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s Ramadan, Pride, these are marginalised communities, with specific barriers, its about improving trust and dignity, and making space for our communities.”
