The Duke made Peterborough history during his visitThe Duke made Peterborough history during his visit
The Duke made Peterborough history during his visit

Historic day in Peterborough as Duke visits mosque and Sikh temple

Peterborough’s diverse communities were celebrated when The Duke of Gloucester made a visit to the city last week.

The Duke - a cousin of the Queen - had a mini tour of the city, visiting the Faizan e Madinah Mosque, the Sikh Temple on Royce Road and Railworld during his visit. He became the first member of the Royal Family to visit a religious building in Peterborough other than the cathedral. Deputy Lord Lieutenant Dr Jaspal Singh said the visit had been a celebration of cultural diversity in Peterborough. He said: “We showed The Duke the Mosque - he is an architect, and he was looking at the structure of the dome at the Mosque. “We presented him to dignitaries, including The High Sheriff, Neil McKittrick and Peterborough City Councillors including (leader of the council) John Holdich. “We then went to the Sikh Temple at Royce Road, where there was a very good reception for him. “There was hymn singing, and a reading from the Holy Scriptures. “I invited leaders from the Hindu community, the Jewish community, the Budhist community, the Dean of the Cathedral - people from all different faiths. “I am the chair of the Peterborough Interfaith Council, and I wanted to tell him about our interfaith work, We have a diverse city, and he was very interested in what we are doing here. “It was a big day for the community as well. We had a top table for the Duke, and everyone wanted their picture with him. “I was honoured to take the Duke around the city, especially as it was the first time a Royal has attended a place of worship in Peterborough other than the cathedral.” Abdul Choudhuri, chairman of the Faizan e Madinah Mosque, said it had been a ‘historic’ day for the city. He said: “We explained to him the work we are doing with community cohesion and race relations in Peterbrough, how we have 300 visitors of different faiths coming here every month. “Having someone from the Royal Family come here like this shows how good the work we are doing is, and is a real show of solidarity. “It was an historic day for our mosque, and for the city of Peterborough.” The Duke also met with volunteers at Railworld in Woodston. Two years ago, the attraction and wildlife garden was given a Queen’s Award for Volunteering, and in the same year Brian Pearce, one of the founders, was awarded an MBE. The Duke met Mr Pearce, and saw some of the environmental work taking place at the site. He also travelled on the Squadron 92 steam engine alongside pupils from Nene Valley Primary School, who waved Union Flags to celebrate the occasion. Mr Pearce said: “I had my worries in the morning about the weather, as we’d been experiencing high winds. But on the day everything came together and I was so relieved that the day was a huge success. “I was lucky enough to be able to escort the Duke along a route where we met children, apprentices, and fellow volunteers. The day was amazing – one that I’ll never forget.” Training academy, PTS, had a number of their railway apprentices at the attraction to meet the Duke, who is a patron of the Nene Valley Railway. Ricky Brotherton is currently training 14 apprentices from PTS Training Academy on practical trackwork. Ricky said: “Our team of apprentices were truly honored to have been paid a visit by HRH Duke of Gloucester. They are a dedicated group of individuals and they were proud to be able to show the Duke their hard work. “Being able to meet the Duke is something that our apprentices are never going to forget and we’d like to thank him for taking the time to visit us.” David Lyall, Head of Operations at PTS said: “The feedback from the team has been fantastic. The visit from the Duke has created a real excitement among our team and has shown that a career in the rail world is important. “We hope that the Duke’s visit will encourage other young people to get involved in the rail industry, and to see that it is an exciting and enjoyable career path”

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