Somerset Council is delighted to recommission a Race, Interfaith and Belief Service that will continue to support and empower diverse communities across Somerset, reinforcing its long-term commitment to inclusion, equality, and community cohesion across the county.
The newly awarded contract will run until 2029 and aims to build on the significant progress already achieved by local organisations working in this area.
Following a competitive process, Thrive (the operating name of the Community Council for Somerset) has been successful in securing the contract. The Council looks forward to collaborating with Thrive to further develop this vital area of work over the next 4 years.
Somerset Council also extends its sincere thanks to The GLADE Centre for its delivery of the Interfaith and Belief contract over the past 2 years. Their work has played a key role in bringing faith and belief into conversations and settings where such dialogue had previously been absent.
Councillor Federica Smith-Roberts, Somerset Council Lead Member for Communities, Culture and Equalities and Diversity, said:
We are proud to continue investing in a service that champions diversity, promotes understanding, and helps ensure that Somerset is a place where everyone feels respected, heard, and included.
The work of our partners in the race, interfaith and belief space has already made a real difference—and we’re excited to see how this next phase builds on that momentum.
The recommissioned service will build on the success of the popular ‘Together Events’ and community integration opportunities. It will also offer:
- Schools practical support and guidance to improve understanding and inclusion around race, faith and belief
- Research with and on behalf of race and faith communities
- Learning opportunities for the Council and voluntary sector partners to reflect, challenge and improve practice
The service will also engage directly with communities to tackle complex and sensitive issues such as immigration, rural racism and faith-based discrimination, helping to foster shared understanding and collective solutions.
A spokesperson for The GLADE Centre said:
The GLADE Centre is grateful to Somerset Council for the opportunity we had spanning 2 years to bring interfaith themes alive for a Somerset audience. We hope some of the newer approaches we introduced for bringing people together, will be carried forward so new conversations will carry on to build those trusting relationships so needed for a more inclusive Somerset society.
The GLADE Centre will move forward with a new vigour in our everyday work, encouraging open-mindedness, recognising and making connections at local level to make sense of issues and successes of our everyday lives. Its that building behaviours, outlooks and values, that are essential for happy, healthy and successful lives where people join in with their communities, that we hope will be at the forefront of the new Race Faith, Belief Service. We remain supportive and wish Thrive success as the service moves forward.
Val Bishop, Chief Executive of Thrive said:
We are proud to continue working alongside Somerset’s diverse communities to ensure voice, leadership and influence sit at the heart of local decision-making. Our aim is to build a strong community-led infrastructure that supports people to thrive together.
We also recognise the importance of facing complex and sometimes uncomfortable issues—such as immigration, rural racism, and faith-based exclusion—through open dialogue and shared learning. We’re grateful to GLADE for the foundations they have laid and look forward to building on this legacy in partnership with communities, faith groups and allies across Somerset.
