On 13 November 2024, during Interfaith Week, Cornwall’s new Faith Covenant was signed. This is a joint commitment between Cornwall Council and Cornwall’s faith communities. It sets out how we will work together to support Cornwall residents.
The Faith Covenant highlights our shared values. It describes our desire to help bring communities together and promote a sense of pride in Cornwall’s diversity. Below are the full and Easy Read versions of the signed Covenant document:
The Covenant was signed by members of the following faiths and belief communities:
- Baha’i
- Buddhist
- Christian
- Hindu
- Islam
- Jewish
- Pagan
- Humanist
It was also signed by Cornwall Council's Leader and Chief Executive and the Chair of Cornwall Faith Forum.
What is a Faith Covenant?
The idea of Faith Covenants was developed by the All Party Parliamentary Group for Faith and Society.
The APPG’s aims are to:
- highlight the contribution to society by faith-based organisations,
- identify best practice, and
- promote understanding of the groups providing innovative solutions around the country.
The APPG is supported by Faith Action. Faith Action is a national network of faith-based and community organisations. The network seeks to serve their communities through social action.
Together the APPG and Faith Action developed a model Covenant document. We have used this model in Cornwall to develop our own Faith Covenant.
Development of Cornwall’s Faith Covenant
Our 2022-2026 Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy included a commitment to explore the development of a Faith Covenant for Cornwall.
Cornwall Council is the first local authority in the south-west to develop a Covenant. It is also the first wholly rural authority to have a Covenant in place.
Faith communities already make a significant positive contribution to the communities of Cornwall. The Covenant recognises and builds on this existing work. It seeks to improve our partnership working and promote open, practical working on all levels. It aims to help create a welcoming, safe and flourishing place in which to live, work and grow up.
Work on the Covenant started on 14 November 2023 (during Interfaith Week 2023). This meeting included Cornwall Faith Forum representatives and relevant officers at Cornwall Council. Everyone agreed to work together to develop a Faith Covenant for Cornwall.
Over the next year, we worked together to:
- Develop a Covenant based on shared values, that promotes community cohesion. A Covenant that celebrates and promotes a sense of pride in the diversity of Cornwall.
- Ensure that the Covenant built on existing work.
- Agree that there needs to be tangible outcomes delivered through the Covenant.
- Identify potential areas of work as an initial focus. This includes development of a faith literacy programme. Also social action mapping of the work of all our faith communities.
- Engage widely with faith communities, relevant Cornwall Council services and other interested parties. This included information and a survey on Let’s Talk Cornwall.
- Consider all feedback received. This information was used to agree a final Covenant document.
Cornwall Faith Covenant Partnership
The Cornwall Faith Covenant Partnership works to foster collaboration. It aims to advance the shared commitment outlined in the Cornwall Faith Covenant. Cornwall Council provide secretariat for the Partnership. Membership includes representation from each of the Cornwall Faith Covenant signatories. The Partnership Terms of Reference provide further detail.
Religion and Belief in Cornwall
Some of our faith communities in Cornwall are very small. They are spread across Cornwall without a building or space to meet and practice their faith. This profile around religion, faith and belief reinforces the importance of the Covenant work.
We are also fortunate and quite unique in Cornwall to have an established Cornwall Faith Forum. Our faith communities already work collaboratively through this Forum.