‘Charity Walk for Peace’ Held in House of Lords with over £685,000 in Donations
Over £685,000 raised in the 2017 Charity Walk for Peace was presented to 114 British charities at a special reception in the House of Lords. The event was sponsored by Baroness McDonagh and co-hosted by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Elders Association (AMEA) and the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and held in the Cholmondeley Room in the House of Lords. Lord Bourne, Minister for Faith, attended the event and paid tribute to the work of the AMEA in its charitable work.
The funds were raised primarily at the ‘Charity Walk For Peace’ held earlier in the year at the Docklands in the City of London where more than 4,000 people participated.
The walk, now in its 29th year, raises funds for various UK charities as part of its drive to engage its members to serve humanity as directed by the community’s Caliph (spiritual leader), His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad.
A wide range of charities were present at the event including The Honeypot Children’s Charity, The Lunchbowl Network, Parkinson’s UK, British Heart Foundation, Leukaemia UK, Lolas Homeless, Humanity First, The Samaritans as well many other charities. The largest donation was £250,000 that went to the Royal British Legion Poppy. A special donation was also made to the Metropolitan Police Christmas Tree Appeal with Chief Superintendent Dave Stringer receiving the cheque on behalf of the Met Commissioner.
150 attendees from more than 70 charities were at the reception as well as numerous parliamentarians including Lord Bourne (Minister for Faith), Baroness Berridge, Baroness Jolly, Lord Sheikh, Rt Hon Tom Brake MP, Alison Thewliss MP, Mike Gapes MP, Jim Shannon MP, Kate Green MP, Zac Goldsmith MP, Stephen Hammond MP, Jake Berry MP, Siobhain McDonagh MP (Chair of the APPG for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community).
Speakers praised the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community for its continued efforts in serving mankind. They also expressed their appreciation of such events which breaks down barriers between people from all walks of life, extending the true essence of uniting communities.
Lord Bourne, Minister of Faith, UK Government
“The ‘Love for all hatred for None’ does sum up what you are about and we are all very grateful for the efforts you make in relation to interfaith activity and supporting this as I say across the political divide because it is something that unites us all, we all have this in common, it is something that really does brings us together.”
Dr Ijazur Rehman, President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Elders Association UK (AMEA UK) gave the welcome address. He thanked all the volunteers and charity partners who made this year’s walk a success and provided a brief update on funds raised.
Mr Rafiq Hayat, National President of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK, gave the closing address. He acknowledged the efforts of all who helped raise the funds. He paid particular recognition to the charities and individuals who give up so much of their lives to help humanity in any way they can, especially in areas of conflict.
Contact details:
Name: Mahmood Rafiq +447971 060 962
Twitter: @AhmadiyyaUK E-mail: media@ahmadiyya.org.uk www.CharityWalkForPeace.org www.LoveForAllHatredForNone.org
