Royal Bolton Hospital opens transformed faith facilities

The Mayor of Bolton officially opened the new look hub.

The project, which will cater for communities of all faiths from all around the borough, was made possible thanks to thousands of pounds worth of donations from the public.

Mayor Cllr Akhtar Zaman cut the ribbon.

He said: “It never ceases to amaze me just how far people and organisations will go to make sure Bolton is a great place to work and live.

“I have lived in Bolton for 37 years and spent time working for the NHS.

The new facilities will serve communities of all different faith groups (Image: Bolton NHS Foundation Trust)

“Equality, diversity and inclusion work has taught me that the true value of creating an inclusive space is about bringing communities together and facilities like this achieve that.

“I can’t wait to see how much of a difference this makes to our wonderful town.”

The £430,000 facilities include a newly refurbished bright and spacious mosque and temple that can welcome 100 worshippers, with prayer mats incorporated into the design of the mosque carpet.

The community hub offers a versatile room for team meetings, staff network events and an area for communities to come together.

Bolton South East MP Yasmin Qureshi was also among the guests at Monday’s ribbon cutting ceremony as were leading figures from the NHS trust.

Chief executive Fiona Noden said: “It’s a privilege to be able to open the facilities during the holy month of Ramadan.

“We’re passionate about making sure people who come to work or to visit the hospital are able to bring their whole selves, and having a space to pray and practice their faith makes all the difference.

“We want all of our staff and patients to know just how much they are valued and cared for.

“Building transformations don’t take place overnight, so thank you to everyone who put in a huge amount of work, determination and passion to bring this project to life for the benefit of our communities.”

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Funding for the work was provided by Our Bolton NHS Charity and a grant from NHS Charities Together.

NHS Charities Together CEO Ellie Orton said: “This charitable investment is a really unique and impressive way of improving staff and patient experience through spiritual wellbeing and valuing cultural diversity.

“We’re really proud to have been a part of this, and having listened to staff and various community groups in Bolton, there is no doubt this will be a very special space for years to come.”