Interfaith Week 2025 – North East Conference: Strengthening Communities Through Interfaith Dialogue

Brenda Dinsdale

Hon. Life President, Newcastle Reform Synagogue

Brenda Dinsdale is Hon. Life President of Newcastle Reform Synagogue and an active member of several local interfaith forums and groups. She is dedicated to promoting interfaith dialogue across the region, regularly attending events, visiting schools, and supporting initiatives that foster understanding, collaboration, and community cohesion among diverse faith communities.

Imam Raza Rahman

Faith & Spirituality Support Coordinator, Newcastle University

Mohammed Roziur Rahman is Founder and CEO of CultivIQ Ltd, The Trust Infrastructure Company, building lawful, belief-safe AI guardrails for the NHS, councils, and universities. Recognised by EqualityX as one of Europe’s Top 50 Influential Muslims (2025) and recipient of the ABC Award for Inclusion by Default (2025), he leads national work on aligning AI, safeguarding, and equality law.

Jaswinder Singh

Director of North East Sikh Service and DiverCity Hub

Jaswinder Singh is Director of DiverCity Hub and Director of North East Sikh Service, as well as a Chaplain at Northumbria University and several hospitals across the region. Born in Slough and raised in the North East, Jaswinder brings extensive experience in community engagement, education, and interfaith initiatives.

Kerim Balci

Chief Advisor, Human Rights Solidarity; Founder, OnlineHizmet

Kerim Balci is a Turkish writer, journalist, academic and human rights activist. He is recently the Chief Advisor of London Based Human Rights Solidarity Balci served as the editor in chief of Turkish Review, and as a columnist at Today’s Zaman and Zaman dailies.

Lucy Winskell OBE

HM Lord-Lieutenant of Tyne & Wear

Revd Andii Bowsher

Coordinator, Faith Advisory and Anglican Chaplain, Northumbria University

Andii co-ordinates spiritual care at Northumbria University, is a parent and grandparent, ordained within the Church of England, volunteers with a national Christian environmental charity and works occasionally to help train priest and lay leaders in the church. Andii also accompanies and supports people individually in their spiritual growth and development.

Revd Lee Batson

Dean of Newcastle St. Nicholas' Cathedral

The Very Revd Lee Batson has been Dean of Newcastle, leading the work of the City’s Church of England Cathedral, since October 2023. He has been a Church of England priest for over twenty years, all of which was spent in Essex until two years ago.

The Dialogue Society hosted a successful Interfaith Week 2025 – North East Conference on Wednesday, 12th November at DiverCity Hub, Newcastle. The event welcomed over 60 faith representatives from diverse communities, providing a platform to explore interfaith collaboration, shared values, and youth engagement.

The day featured two panel discussions and a practical workshop, offering participants opportunities to share experiences, reflect on common goals, and discuss strategies for building inclusive, resilient communities.

Keynote Address
The conference opened with a keynote by Lucy Winskell, OBE, HM Lord-Lieutenant of Tyne & Wear, who highlighted the importance of interfaith dialogue in fostering social cohesion and community trust.

Panel 1 – Interfaith Focus
Theme: “Common Values, Shared Action: Getting Faith Communities to Collaborate on Building Community Trust & Preventing Extremism Through Dialogue”
Speakers:

Jaswinder Singh, Director, North East Sikh Service
Brenda Dinsdale, Hon. Life President, Newcastle Reform Synagogue
Revd Lee Batson, Dean, Newcastle Cathedral

The panel explored how interfaith relationships can strengthen community resilience, practical steps for collaboration beyond dialogue, and the role of shared moral and ethical values in preventing extremism.

Panel 2 – University Lead Chaplains (Youth Focus)
Theme: “Faith, Identity, and Belonging: Supporting Young People through Interfaith Engagement in Higher Education”
Speakers:

Imam Raza Rahman, Faith & Spirituality Support Coordinator, Newcastle University
Revd Andii Bowsher, Coordinator, Faith Advisory and Anglican Chaplain, Northumbria University

This session focused on supporting students’ spiritual and personal development, navigating identity, creating safe interfaith spaces, and promoting mental health and wellbeing among young people.

Workshop Session
The day concluded with an interactive workshop, providing participants with practical tools and strategies for fostering dialogue and collaboration across faith communities.

All sessions were moderated by Dr Kerim Balci, journalist, academic, and human rights advocate.

The conference highlighted the power of dialogue, the importance of shared values, and the impact of interfaith collaboration in building inclusive, resilient, and connected communities.

We thank all participants and speakers for their contributions and look forward to continuing this important work across the North East.