Southmead’s First Grand Iftar

Since I started working in Southmead, I have had many conversations with people about the idea of a Grand Iftar being hosted at the Greenway Centre; the aim being to create a warm and welcoming event where everyone in our community, regardless of faith, can come together to connect, reflect, and celebrate the generosity and unity that Ramadan encourages. I was delighted when this longed-for idea finally happened at Greenway last Friday.

This was the first Iftar I have attended, and I was struck by how friendly and communal it felt. As the time came to ‘break the fast’ (begin eating again) at sunset, more than one hundred guests shared dates and water, and chatted throughout the delicious main meal, catching up with friends and meeting new people. I witnessed a strengthening of community, and we met many Southmead residents who had not visited Greenway before.

What made the evening especially meaningful was that it was organised entirely by Southmead residents, with support from us here at Southmead Development Trust and Muslims4Bristol.  It brought together people from across the neighbourhood, including members of Southmead’s churches, our Councillors, and also our MP.  It was a wonderful example of the community spirit that makes Southmead such a special place.

By the end of the evening, people were already talking about making next year’s Southmead Grand Iftar even bigger. I truly hope it becomes a new Southmead tradition.

Thank you to everyone who helped to organise, and who came along to, this fantastic community event. Do keep an eye out for more events on our What’s On calendar.

If you have ideas for community events in Southmead, or want to find out more about how we can support your community ideas, do contact me, email: lucillesmith@southmead.org, or telephone: 0117 950 3335.