1. Introduction

URI is a UK Registered Charity. It is a bridge building organisation and not a religion. The priorities of URI are to concentrate on work in the most fragile and disadvantaged geographical areas with the most diverse religions and ethnic groupings in order to achieve peace and understanding within these communities. URI seeks to strengthen and develop the infra-structure of Inter Faith groups throughout England .

URI UK works to the Global charter of URI, its Purpose, Preamble and Principles.

2 URI Mission

The mission of URI UK is to achieve inter-faith tolerance and understanding through offering ‘unique', interesting projects harnessing people's love of Nature, Environment and the Arts. URI will enhance the infra-structure by relating inter faith workers to each other in each Region and by offering high quality projects for them to use.

3 URI Objectives

The major objective of URI therefore is to build bridges linking different Faiths, in order to protect the most fragile and disadvantaged areas of our society from religious intolerance and bigotry. The process of transcending religious barriers through Nature, Environment and the Arts is therefore an integral part of our overall objective.

4 URI Main Activities

The 3 key unique activities plus the annual workshop form the main thrust of URI's work. They are:

a) Our very successful ‘Spirit of the Nation' programme draws together young men and women from different faiths using Photography as the basis for cross-religious dialogue. These projects involve people capturing, through photographs, others of different faiths in their places of worship and work with a view to exhibiting the artistry of their images in schools, colleges, civic, faith and inter-faith groups.

b) Shared Sacred Space is a key concept where responsibility is devolved to 100 ‘congregations', (Jew, Muslim, Sikh, Hindus, Buddhist, Christian, Jain, Zoroastrian and Baha'i), for transforming a large tract of land (40-50 hectares) into an environmentally beautiful and ecologically sound ‘sacred' place by planting 5000+ trees and wonderful landscaping.

c) We host six structured Faith Evenings, in each Region, annually in targeted towns and cities. Here the hundred plus guests, who are invited from across different faiths, sit with someone of a different generation and a different faith to explore their spiritual beliefs. This personal approach avoids confrontation and has been so successful that John Battle MP (the Prime Minister's Inter-faith envoy) describes each such conversation as a ‘brick' to build our new Society.

d) Annual Regional Workshops – these will form an important opportunity for shared ideas and best practice and an opportunity to learn new skills and discuss issues of National importance which the Faith Groups wish to address – viz: Family Life, the Environment.

5 Conclusion

URI's success has not only been because it offers exciting and unique projects, drawing together people from different faiths (very specially young adults) but also because it encourages, empowers and envisions local voluntary and statutory inter-faith groups in every Region. Transcending Faith boundaries and religious beliefs through Nature, the Environment and the Arts is found to be the key for peace and harmony in the ‘fragile' areas of the county. URI wants to see an appropriate, grass roots, inter-related, mutually supportive infra-structure for all voluntary and community based Inter Faith Groups in England by December 2012. The nine Regional Workers will achieve this.

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