Reading Interfaith Group

Just in case anyone is wondering...........the sitting room is now re-decorated and looking great. This would have been such a good reason to relax and enjoy the scenery. Being married to a teacher means however that every DIY job needs to be done over the summer holidays because the rest of the year life is focused almost entirely around work.

Yesterday we began sorting out a loft which when you look into it from the hatch still looks very much like Tutankhamen's tomb. Its really strange looking through papers, photographs, reading through the old story books and re-discovering toys. Suddenly there's an opportunity to review the whole of life right up to that moment which put you up amongst the pipes, lagging, itchy insulation, dust and into semi darkness. Here there's a reminder of things you have done, places visited, what you really looked like in those days, those embarrassing moments of creativity (by someone who will never be an artist!), but above all else, evidence through cards, letters and even presents of people who have supported you.

Our house is a little bit like a museum in having so many different reminders of people. Its value is almost entirely sentimental, sometimes very battered and unlikely to attract any burglars. My grandmother's wooden fruit bowl was always full. Now it tends only to have bananas because everything else either gets put in the fridge or eaten straight away. To protect the dinning room table from light damage my Grandma had a soft red velour tablecloth. During long family meals I used to plat the tassels under the table. As a parent I used to bring the red tablecloth out for children's birthday parties. Once it was a cloak when the school did a Roman day but now the tablecloth only gets used for Christmas. Another tablecloth embroidered with brightly coloured flowers was made by a second cousin in a London air-raid shelter during the Blitz. It is kept for a tea when you might possibly need to impress someone. In the old days they used to call such items a "conversation piece." Embroidered tablecloths are a cause of considerable fear in case anything gets spilt. However much they mean to you. it is a little hard discussing them in much depth these days.

My god-mothers unused best cotton pillow cases also wait in the airing cupboard for a moment of publicity and purpose. A cracked blue china boat is loved as much as when it was first spontaneously given to me as a child. This ash tray became an ornament to me. My husband's uncle who worked in a High Wycombe furniture factory made little wooden aircraft and a few boxes from the scraps he found lying about between shifts whilst he was called up during the war. All these items tell me so many stories are about Remembrance, which is the theme of our November event. So far we have made very little plans but I am very much looking forward to this evening of shared experience on a theme.

For the present I have a very visible reminder of my limited artistic ability right next to me as I write. A couple of days ago the Friendship Walk banner was discovered our garage. This is not very relaxing company for me right now but a reminder none the less of support.

The time it got taken to Reading Football Club training ground left quite an impression. It was quite alarming when the Reading Post photographer asked half the team to all get in a line and kneel down whilst the rest could stand behind them. Then I was asked to present the team with the banner. Unfolding a piece of art that looks as if it has been painted by a five year old was not one of my prouder moments but it was also very funny. As a very good reason why I should support my local football club, one of the players looked at the banner and said with more generosity than honesty, that to him it looked very good! So much of what we know and are able to do right now is based upon treasures of vision, bravery, imagination, and kindness hidden in the lofts and garages of our lives.

Reading Interfaith Group has been concentrating on publicity for the Friendship Walk over the past few weeks. This year I have been very aware of how much our committee have acted like a relay team. Its enthusiasm has allowed some of us a break from Interfaith to recover from illness, a few holidays ( in Interfaith circles even the most unlikely destinations tend to become a Pilgrimage!) and to pace ourselves generally without the whole group losing its momentum.

In my case this role of support has been of particular importance. Without much stamina , enthusiasm or expertise, for the past few weeks I have endured all the chaos associated with re-decorating our sitting room. It has been very reassuring to hear the phone ring at regular intervals, imagine you haven't noticed the thick cloud of plaster dust or smell of paint for a few minutes, go for quite a treasure hunt in search of the phone, uncover dust sheets and then hear a familiar voice on the other end of the line reminding me of a Friendship Walk whilst asking “What else can I do?”

At times I feel very much like a football manger, blessed with a particularly strong squad and now with the challenge of deploying all the players in their team. To me the importance of Interfaith provides no option but to try our best because a match of any sort is there for winning. Some of those associated with Reading Interfaith Group support the local football team and can be a little competitive sometimes!

Over the past few weeks we have continued to distribute leaflets. Our second print run seems to be disappearing very fast. Regardless of how many walkers turn up on 12^th September, thanks to the financial support provided through membership subscriptions, an increasing number of people are getting this opportunity to read what the Friendship Walk is about. This initial publicity is now being backed up with posters. An invitation drafted by our deputy chair (now recognised as being the resident literary expert) will be posted to volunteer and community groups shortly. We also have smaller birthday-party type invitations designed on a similar format to the poster which can be given out on an individual basis by hand.

Two weeks before the walk we will issue press releases, relying on the media's understanding and usual generosity of support which has made such a difference to our events in the past. A few days before the event, our proactive treasurer has been asked to make the best use possible of my e mail address collection by sending our reminders. This role has been allocated because he is very organised and good at putting in crucial items of information. Instead of my usual philosophical ramble on peace being generally a very good idea, those on the receiving end will get told the Friendship Walk time, date and route besides getting the compulsory membership application form, which happens whenever you ask a treasurer to do things!

This morning I dropped several leaflets and posters off at Reading police station, grateful that an officer had phoned me up a few days ago saying he would be attending the Friendship Walk whilst offering help with publicity. A few hours later(on the way back from a particularly demanding trip to IKEA)  I received a text message on my mobile phone with an offer from one of our more recent members to translate our posters. Thanks to this spontaneous kindness, the Friendship Walk will also be communicated in Urdu and Arabic to the people of Reading.

Anyway, this is a progress report for the time being. Thank you for your continued support. It still seems a bit scary sometimes and I have absolutely no idea how many people will turn up on the day, but what an incredible adventure!