Westminster Life: A city built on community

The horrific attack on a synagogue in Manchester was a moment of profound darkness. My thoughts are with everyone affected, especially those in the Jewish community who must be feeling the pain and shock most deeply.

Yet, in the aftermath of horror, we’ve seen extraordinary courage and unity as people have stood together against hatred. I was pleased to see the council lower the flags outside the Town Hall as a mark of respect, and I have reached out to Jewish community leaders and others in the city. It’s easy to feel helpless at times like these, but I truly believe that we’ve got to do more than just express sympathy. The government, local government, and all of us need to be more than bystanders. We owe it to each other to look out for one another.

Peterborough is a proud city, and we have long been home to a world of communities living next door as neighbours. In the last few days alone, I have taken part in events marking occasions for Christians, Hindus, and Muslims. Faith runs deep in our city. That’s why the attack on a mosque in Peacehaven, was also a shock coming so soon after the synagogue attack. There is too much hatred right now directed at Jewish and Muslim communities.

One of the best things I get to do as an MP is to regularly visit our places of worship. There is more in common across our faiths than those who seek to divide us could ever know. Faith in faith. It was great to see people of all backgrounds and faiths at the Visit My Mosque event at the Faizan E Madina at the weekend. Peterborough is a better city when we stand together against division. Too often we talk about the city in terms of its roads and buildings; to me, our strength is our people and the communities we are part of.

I saw those values in action last week at Peterborough Rugby Club when we welcomed Emily Scarratt and Sadia Kabeya, two of the amazing World Cup-winning Red Roses, to the city to help inspire young girls and women into the sport. The players were visiting as part of Rugby Fest, a weekend of celebration for rugby and community sport. This is a great club that brings teamwork, drive, and sportsmanship to young men and women. It was incredible to have such legends in Peterborough and to see the positive role models they were for the young women. This is what patriotism means to me – cheering on the national team, a flag based on bringing people together, a nation as a team together.

I was also inspired this week to see a new Archbishop of Canterbury announced. Archbishop Mullally is a former nurse who came to her ministry later in life and is the first woman to hold this office. I wish her well in her role as our most senior Anglican leader.