People from across the community are being invited to fast for a day this Ramadan as part of an annual project led by One Voice Blackburn.

‘I’m not a Muslim but I will fast (for one day),’ is now in its ninth year, with members of the public, officials from major local organisations from the public and private sector, and One Voice members taking part.

The  award winning campaign began in 2015 with and more than 1,200 people have taken part. This year participants will be asked to record their fast as a video diary.

Ramadan is the holy Islamic month where Muslims forgo food and water between sunrise and sunset.

This year it is due to begin around March 22, and will last for 29 or 30 days, culminating in the Eid festival.

Last year teams of staff from across Blackburn with Darwen Council observed a day of fasting in solidarity with their Muslim friends and colleagues, with chief executive Denise Park taking part.

She said:“Opportunities such as this can help us to understand more about the beliefs and practices of people from different cultural and religious backgrounds to our own, to help our community to be more accepting, tolerant and welcoming – and ultimately stronger.”

Marketing manager at One Voice Blackburn, Sundas Bakhat, said: “Ramadan is the time of year when the Muslim community take time to reflect on their lives and their spirituality. 

“We are thrilled to be nearing our tenth anniversary of this unique campaign.

"Community cohesion is a key component of our charity and once again we are overwhelmed with the number of people wanting to take part in the fast. We can’t wait to share their experiences on video.”

Anyone interested in taking part between March 27 to April 20 can email: sundas@1vblackburn.org