‘Luton gangs to be targeted by Bedfordshire Police,’ screams one headline. ‘Luton fast food owner jailed over drugs in takeaway bag,’ shouts another. ‘Luton terrorism hotspot,’ cries one more.
For those unfamiliar with the area, it would seem, on first appearances, to be a place to avoid.
But Karen Campbell, United Reformed Church Related Community Worker (CRCW) for Grassroots – a Luton-based ecumenical charity that supports community work through its involvement with the Bury Park Beech Hill Council of Churches (BPBHCC) – shows just how much work is going on behind the negative headlines, to build community and celebrate multiculturalism.
For more than eight years, Karen has witnessed when world stage events have had a direct local impact. She says: ‘Years of political correctness [have] left sections of the community feeling overlooked and invisible. It is a place where the actions of a small group of vocal Islamic extremists gave rise to the far-right English Defence League.’
Luton has a diverse ethnic mix. Since the 2011 census, the area is said to be one of three white British-minority towns in the UK, with a sizable proportion of the population being of Asian descent.
When Karen first went to work in Luton, she wondered if she had ‘bitten off more than she could chew’.
‘While cultural and religious diversity certainly brings many joys,’ she says. ‘They can also present challenges as people learn (or not) how to get along and negotiate difference. This is certainly true for Luton.’
But in her reflection ‘Luton... What a Place! Grassroots... What a Team!’ Karen explains how strong relationships were built with Muslim colleagues, from Grassroots’ partner organisation, Luton Council of Faiths (LCoF) and other churches, mosques, Hindu temples, Sikh gurdwaras, and local Jewish and Baha'i communities.
Established 25 years ago, Grassroots has gained a reputation for supporting and enabling groups who might be considered 'hard to reach' or 'on the margins'.
Karen continues: ‘The aim is never to create a “melting pot” in which difference is ignored, or negotiated away, but rather to create respectful spaces, where each person, each group, is free to be themselves whilst respecting the right of others to be themselves too.’
Read Karen’s reflection in full here.
If you would like to learn more about the ministry of Church Related Community Work email Samara Andrews, CRCW Administrator, or call 0207 916 2020.
