The interfaith charity that inspires Ila

Ila (70) is a devoted carer to three members of her family, which is humbling enough in itself. But when I asked her what she does for herself that brings her joy, her reply made me feel even more in awe of her.

"I work with several charities, which I really enjoy. One is an interfaith group called the Windsor and Maidenhead Community Forum. We have people of 8 different faiths. We get together and have dialogues and run things like sporting events, which are open to everybody.

Under the umbrella of the forum we also have a women’s group. We meet every two months and talk about all sorts of topics. We recently had a speaker from True Honour talking about how she testified in a trial where her sister in law had been taken to India for an arranged marriage and had been killed.

Being a part of the group has opened my eyes to different faiths

Being part of the group has opened my eyes to different faiths and communities. We go to the Synagogue, the Mosque, the Hindu temple, the Quaker meeting house and different churches. I love meeting so many people from different backgrounds.

Especially as you get older, you tend to have your small group of friends and its much harder to meet new people. Through the group I’ve made some really, really good friends."