Preston North End Community and Education Trust (PNECET) is set to celebrate Ramadan on a grand scale for a second consecutive year, with a weekly roadshow planned for three nights of every week during the holy month.

Ramadan is the ninth, holy month of the Islamic calendar, which is regarded as a time of reflection and gratitude for Muslims, who fast from sunrise to sunset every day throughout the festival.

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Working with the Preston United Youth Development Programme and the Community Gateway Association, PNECET will distribute free Biryani meals – available as a meat or vegetarian option – alongside traditional dates and fresh water to support those who are fasting throughout the month of Ramadan.

Throughout April, PNECET, Preston United and Community Gateway will have a stall which will be staged at a different location on three separate evenings, handing out those traditional goods to those who are fasting during Ramadan.

The Deepdale stall will be located at the junction of Castleton Road and Holmrook Road, the Fishwick stall will be located at the Sahara Women’s Centre, and the Frenchwood stall will be located on the car park at the junction of St Austin’s Place and Manchester Road – behind Sid’s Convenience Store, which is opposite Cardinal Newman College.

The timetable of dates and venues is below:

• Monday 4 April: Deepdale
• Wednesday 6 April: Fishwick
• Monday 11 April: Frenchwood
• Tuesday 12 April: Fishwick
• Wednesday 13 April: Deepdale
• Tuesday 19 April: Fishwick
• Wednesday 20 April: Deepdale
• Thursday 21 April: Frenchwood
• Tuesday 26 April: Fishwick
• Wednesday 27 April: Deepdale
• Thursday 28 April: Frenchwood

Head of Community Engagement Rebecca Robertson said: “Our Ramadan initiative last year was an incredibly rewarding one and we’re again looking forward to engaging with the local community during the holy month by providing free, traditional goods.

“Having engaged with more than 3,000 people through the initiative last year, this year, we are hoping to provide support for even more people, by taking our Iftar offering to three different locations.

“There is a substantial Muslim community living in close proximity to Deepdale and we feel that it is vital that we show our support during their time of sacrifice, not only with the provision of the traditional foods but by engaging and truly understanding the meaning and challenges of fasting.”

Guest post: My experience of Ramadan as a young Muslim girl in Preston

Community Engagement Officer Mo Patel added: “It was a privilege to be part of last year’s Ramadan initiative as a volunteer and it’s exciting to now be playing a role as a full-time member of staff with the planning and delivery of what should be another fantastic month of celebrations for Ramadan.

“As a practising Muslim myself, it’s really exciting to be delivering a project that celebrates our local Muslim community and further diversifies our provision, which can only help to drive innovation and consider different cultural perspectives across all of our programmes.”

Read more: Preston Muslim Girls High School in Deepdale set to expand

Together with volunteers from Preston United and Community Gateway staff, PNECET staff will volunteer to distribute the packs on all of the listed evenings throughout Ramadan and further celebrations will follow at the end of the month to mark Eid-al-Fitr.

In addition to the stall, Trust staff will also visit a different mosque in Preston every Friday during Ramadan – with the exception of Good Friday – to greet those attending for afternoon prayers at respective mosques.

There will be a visit to City Mosque Preston on Friday 8 April, to Madina Mosque on Friday 22 April, and to Raza Mosque on Friday 29 April.

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Staff will also be experiencing the challenges of Ramadan themselves with some set to voluntarily fast for one day a week, with the aim of improving their understanding of the hardship faced by those who do fast, as well as joining with the theme of reflection to understand and appreciate the many privileges that are enjoyed in everyday life.

The Trust will also be looking to support Muslim families who are most in need during the course of Ramadan and those requiring support and are invited to get in touch.

For more information about the Ramadan project or to request further support, email mohammed@pne.com.

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