Civic Offices celebration marked end of Ramadan

Swindon Borough Council staff joined councillors and and community members to celebrate a multi-faith Iftar evening.

The Iftar, also known as futoor (the Arabic word for breakfast), is the meal served at the end of the day during Ramadan, to break the day’s fast. 

Muslims traditionally break their fast by eating dates and drinking water or milk.
Beyond its religious significance, the Iftar is an opportunity for family and friends to gather and share a meal.
It is considered virtuous to invite others to participate and share in the blessings of Iftar, so the council invited people to the Civic Offices at 6pm for its own multi-faith Iftar evening.
The High Sherriff of Wiltshire, Mr Pradeep Bhardwaj, was joined by Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire, Mr Mohammed Ali, Council Leader Cllr Jim Robbins, council Chief Executive Sam Mowbray and members of Swindon’s Muslim community at the inaugural event.
Cllrs Abdul Amin, Junab Ali and Jamal Miah joined other local restauranteurs in Swindon in donating the traditional breaking of the fast meal.
Cllr Robbins said: “This was the very first time we organised a council-hosted Iftar event and it was fantastic to welcome people of all faiths to the Civic Offices yesterday evening.
“We are really proud to be an inclusive and diverse organisation and we wanted to show our support for our Muslim councillors, colleagues within the Council and the wider community.
“It was an incredibly positive event and I would like to thank all the volunteers for making it such a special evening for everyone who attended.”