Northampton curry house hosts community dinner to mark month of Ramadan

Community leaders have come together to mark the holy month of Ramadan with a dinner held at a Northampton curry house.

The event saw members of the Muslim community joined by guests in a show of unity and togetherness at Saffron restaurant in Castilian Street.

Saffron owner, Naz Islam, said: “The concept of community has never been more relevant.

“In a world increasingly torn apart by division, terror and hate the onus is on all of us to show what can be achieved by a collective show of togetherness and unity.

“Ramadan gives us the perfect opportunity to do just that.

“As we go through Ramadan and approach Eid-ul-Fitr where we gather once again for the holiday prayer, visit family and friends, and celebrate over food, gifts and activities for children, let us channel that spirit of community cohesion and take it forward, leading by example and showing others the benefits of living in peace, unity and harmony.”

Guests attending the event included Andrew Lewer, MP for Northampton South, and Professor Nick Petford, vice chancellor of the University of Northampton.

Mr Petford said: “Northampton is a special town typified by the way its multi-cultural communities come together as one on occasions such as this.”

Other guests included Arfruz Miah, who is putting his body on the line by running the 195 miles from Oldham to London while fasting throughout Ramadan.

He said: "Running during Ramadan is special because it's a sacrifice, and I'm not doing it for any other reason but to raise funds for the poor and needy around the world.

"Before I started running, I don't think many people were walking during Ramadan, let alone running. But people are running, cycling, and hiking up and down the country alongside me. They are doing stuff in Ramadan they would have never dreamt of doing to fundraise.”

Mr Miah will be visiting 21 towns and cities on the route and has already raised more than £40,000 of his £313,000 target for the UK charity Global Relief Trust (GRT), providing essentials such as food, water and medical equipment to countries around the world.