AN EAST LONDON fire station hosted an iftar for the first time last week.
Plaistow Fire Station in Newham opened its doors last Tuesday (18) to over 100 members of the community which observes Ramadan.
Both Muslims and non-Muslims attended the event, as did faith leaders from the community. The iftar was organised by the London Fire Brigade (LFB), with support from the Newham Muslim Forum and the Newham Community Project.
James Ryan, borough commander for Newham, said: “We’ve been lucky. We have incredible members of our community who have been welcoming and happy to help, and it’s been a privilege and a very easy experience – it’s just lovely to open up the doors to the fire station and have members of the community come in and celebrate with us.
“What we’re looking to from this event is to highlight the theme of unity and togetherness in a world that can sometimes be divided. We wanted to highlight that our differences can make us better people.”
The fire station will also host an open Eid celebration at the end of March to mark the end of Ramadan.
(Local Democracy Reporting Service)
Bob Blackman MP speaks during the event
