London Boroughs Faiths Network Newsletter - September 2026
Welcome to the September 2026 edition of the London Boroughs Faiths Network newsletter.
As children return to school and the weather begins to shift, this is a period of transition for Londoners.
Here at LBFN, we have a busy autumn ahead of us with lots to update you on. November is an especially packed month for us. We have a new round of community resilience training coming up, as well as Inter Faith Week, Mitzvah Day, and Remembrance Day - all important events for the London calendar!
Stay tuned for more about that, and read on for updates from us, as well as the wider sector.
LBFN Events and News
Community Resilience Training for Faith and Community Groups
The next round of our free, four-session Community Resilience Training Programme is with North Central (Islington, Hackney, Camden) & South West London (Kingston, Richmond, Wandsworth). The training will begin in November.
This training is designed to equip faith communities and local community groups with the skills and knowledge needed to build strength and resilience during times of crisis. We have been running this in-person, free offer for many years and are very happy to share the course with more Londoners in November.
The training includes a wide array of topics including security/counter-terrorism, first aid, public health, mental health, and local incident response, all of which are explored over four a number of weeks.
If you operate in any of the above boroughs, please find out more and sign up below.
If you’d like to be considered for our next round of training, please email us at comms@lbfn.org.uk or stevemiller@fbrn.org.uk
Sign up to South West Training | Sign uo to North Central Training
Nepal and TIbet Floods - Words from partners
The impacts of emergencies and disasters abroad are often closer than you think.
A few of our partners have shared some of the ways in which their London-based communities have been impacted by the devastating floods in Nepal & Tibet.
Please note that you can also find services and support related to the Nepal / Tibet floods on this London Communities Emergencies Partnership webpage.
Find out more from our partners
Winter Preparedness
I’m sure we are all breathing a sigh of relief as the weather starts to cool and autumn approaches. The period of drought and extreme heat seems to be behind us.
Cooler weather does come with its own risks, however. The upcoming
El Niño phenomenon is likely to increase the amount of rain and storms towards the end of the year. This means that flooding and disruption is likely in London.
Last year we ran a winter preparedness webinar alongside our partners The London Communities Emergencies Partnership. We recorded the session and much of this remains relevant, so see below if you’d like to increase your preparedness for winter.
Responding to Terror
The series of terror attacks on property and people in London have left our communities shaken and angry. Not just the Jewish community who were the immediate target of most of these attacks, but when physical terror seems to be around every corner, all of our communities feel vulnerable.
It is essential that we continue to come together so we can take the next step, and the next. London Boroughs Faiths Network initiated just such a coming together immediately after the latest attacks in Golders Green – the record of that moving Community Insights meeting is below.
Our Quarterly Partnership Meeting with the London Communitiies Emergency Partnership
We joined together for the Quarterly meeting on 23rd September. This quarter covered "Preparedness and exercising for increased UK Terrorism Threat Levels" following the UK’s increase to Severe Threat Level. We heard from the Met Police, who spoke about their counter-terrorism measures, as well as the important role of the voluntary, community and faith sectors.
The aim was to create a shared understanding of the risks around heightened threat levels, and for attendees to pinpoint individual and collective actions to be taken for improved preparedness.
We will be sending out notes, links and resources from the session in the next few days. If you missed the meeting, keep an eye on our social media and website for more information, or contact comms@lbfn.org.uk.
Our Recent Reflections
How does hatred grow to the point where such violence becomes possible? This is the question that our Partnership Coordinator, Joelma, asked herself after visiting the Nova Exhibition in London. This exhibition was a moving memorial that honours the lives of those affected by the attack on the Nova Music Festival on 7 October 2023.
Also, we recently hosted a brilliant conversation with sixteen individuals from the faith and community sectors. This was our London-specific contribution to The National Conversation, a UK-wide listening initiative which is part of the Independent Commission on Community & Cohesion. The National Conversation invited people right across the country to share what they value about community life, and the communities they want to build.
Read our blogs on these topics below.
Lessons from the Nova Exhibition | Our National Conversation Meeting
PARTNER SPOTLIGHT!
Here we showcase the work of our partners!
Westminster Interfaith: Annual Pilgrimage for Peace
2026 marks 40 years since the first Pilgrimage for Peace in 1986. This year, they will meet at 10am on October 3rd at St Anselm's Catholic Church before travelling around places of worship, stopping at one for lunch, and finishing around 3pm.
This is an excellent example of interfaith work which we are very happy to see. Promoting togetherness across different faiths is incredibly important at the moment. If you would like to join, email westminsterinterfaith@rcdow.
If you would like to be featured in our next partner spotlight, please contact Henry at comms@lbfn.org.uk.
PARTNER AND CROSS SECTOR ACTIVITY
You can now find activity, resources and events from the wider sector on our website!
Click the button below to find our ‘sector activity’ blog, which we will re-release with every newsletter.
Contact us:
For strategic directions: stevemiller@fbrn.org.ukFor communications and general enquiries: comms@lbfn.org.uk