By Scott Owen, Chair of the Multi Faith Network at East of England Ambulance Service
In a year where the world has felt heavy with conflict, uncertainty, and division, the need for compassion and connection has never been more profound. Within EEAST, the Multi Faith Network has become a place of warmth, a space where colleagues can pause, breathe, and find hope in one another’s humanity.
Every day, our teams witness the fragility of life and the complexity of people’s emotions. Against this backdrop, the Multi Faith Network exists to remind us that even in times of geopolitical tension, understanding is still possible. Kindness is still possible. Togetherness is still possible.
This year, we took a powerful step forward by opening our doors wider than ever before. The Network is now a home for colleagues of all faiths and none, reflecting the rich and diverse beliefs across our organisation. Whether someone draws strength from prayer, nature, community, quiet reflection, or from simply trying to be a good human being, they belong here.
Our guiding principle, “Be curious, not judgemental,” has become a gentle invitation to slow down, to listen, and to meet each other without assumptions. It reminds us that learning about someone’s beliefs is not about agreeing it’s about understanding. And understanding builds trust.
To support deeper connection, we have launched Faith in Focus, a new series where colleagues share the heart of their faith or belief system. These sessions have become moments of powerful honesty where people speak of hope, identity, struggle, and the values that carry them through difficult days. Every session offers a reminder that no matter how different our beliefs may be, we often long for the same thing’s safety, meaning, compassion, and community.
Our Network has also remained active and present across EEAST and beyond. This year, our work has included:
- Emergency operations centre (EOC), ambulance station and place of worship visits, offering listening, presence, and belonging.
- Contributions to the People Committee, ensuring that belief and values are recognised in the decisions that affect colleagues most.
- Participation in EEAST Leadership Days, embedding faith sensitive leadership across our Trust.
- National Uniform Group Collaboration, where faith inclusion helps shape national practices.
- Representation at national Royal British Legion (RBL) and Association of Jewish Ex‑Servicemen and Women (AJEX) events, honouring sacrifice, and collective memory.
- Participating in the EEAST 2025 Networks Conference with Guest Speaker Dr Elizabeth Phillips from the Woolf Institute where she offered a session on Embracing Religious Diversity.
- Collaboration with LAS faith groups, building cross trust relationships, learning, and sharing best practice.
- And our continuing pastoral drop-in sessions, where colleagues can speak openly, safely, and without judgement.
Through these activities, one thing has become clear: people are yearning for connection. They want to feel heard. They want to feel safe. They want to feel understood.
The Multi Faith Network exists to meet that need.
As we look ahead, our commitment is simple but powerful to keep building bridges in a world that often builds walls. To keep nurturing hope in a world that can sometimes feel overwhelming. And to keep reminding every colleague from frontline crews to support staff that they are never alone.
In times of tension, empathy is an act of courage. In times of division, togetherness becomes an act of healing. And in times of uncertainty, we hold onto the quiet conviction that we are stronger when we walk alongside one another.
