Football is bringing community together
Players from all backgrounds take part in weekly sessions at St Bart’s
THE West Berkshire Muslim Centre (WBMC) has started sports sessions for solidarity between different community groups.
The centre is holding weekly football matches at St Bartholomew’s School in Newbury for members of the black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) community, as well as the wider community.
In recent years the group has supported refugees who have fled their home countries and joined the local community.
Youth volunteer Bilal Zahid said: “The weekly fitness sessions have been a really great way to meet new friends and build new relationships.
“There has been a very wide age range attending these sessions so I can definitely see how these are tailored for all age groups and abilities.”
The matches are an opportunity for people to meet in
dividuals from an array of backgrounds, with the centre already representing more than 20 nationalities including British, Moroccan, Bangladeshi and Zimbabwean.
The centre has also introduced weekly badminton and table tennis sessions, as well as fitness sessions for men and women in partnership with Newbury Crossfit.
Funded by the council’s
‘Let’s Get Active’ initiative, they say these sessions aim to help combat loneliness and exclusion that refugees can feel after moving somewhere new.
West Berkshire Muslim Centre trustee and executive member Umar Butt said that there has been a “real difference” in “personal wellbeing and mental health” of those who have taken part.
He said: “We have seen a great uptake ranging from individuals as young as 11 through to 50-plus and a range of cultural backgrounds.”
Youth volunteer Umar Qazi said: “The football sessions are a great way to meet the wider community through a sporting event, lifelong friendships have been made.”
WBMC member Hasan Ahmad said that the impact that these sessions have on people goes “well beyond the pitch”.
He said: “Football has always been a sport which has brought people together.
“Football sessions have been a great opportunity for local Muslims to integrate with one another but also the wider Newbury community.”
There are other activities held by the centre like mother and toddler coffee mornings and pot luck shared meals, many of which are hosted at the Riverside Community Centre in Turnpike.
To find out more, visit the WBMC Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ ourWBMC