Date: Thursday 28 November 2024
Time: 13:30 – 19:00
Venue: Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club, Waterloo Road, Wolverhampton WV1 4QR
Tickets: Free via Eventbrite here >>
Inquiries: [email protected] | 0203-970-0709
This event is taking place in the Hayward Suite of the Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club, accessed through the Billy Wright entrance.
Explore the way religion and belief are interwoven into the life of Wolverhampton, as people from long-standing and diverse communities share their stories and open the window into their world.
Join us at Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club for presentations and conversations with journalists, teachers, academics, and religious leaders, making new contacts and networking with local media representatives who are looking for stories.
The purpose of the day is to bring together local faith communities with local and regional journalists to improve the reporting and understanding of religion. Several media professionals from the main TV and Radio channels will be present along with print and online media editors and reporters.
Wolverhampton will be the 12th city to be visited by the Religion Media Centre for our Creating Connections initiative. Attendance is free, but you must register beforehand.
The event is hosted by the Religion Media Centre, an impartial and independent organisation aiming to increase further cohesion and understanding in society by helping the media report and understand religion and belief. Join our mailing lists here >>
| 13:30 | Registration and refreshments |
| 14:00 | Welcome Welcome from Councillor Linda Leach, the Right Worshipful Mayor of Wolverhampton; Dr Timothy Wambunyathe, Bishop of Wolverhampton; Jas Dehar, Chairperson of interfaith Wolverhampton; and Gurpri Bains, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Manager at Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club |
| 14:10 | Introduction Michael Wakelin, Exec Chair Religion Media Centre – What is the Religion Media Centre and why are we all here? |
| 14:20 | Presentation: The Religious Landscape of Wolverhampton Revd Ray Gaston, Inter Faith Enabler for the Wolverhampton Episcopal Area and Adviser on interfaith relations to the Bishops of Wolverhampton and Lichfield. And Dr Opinderjit Takhar MBE, a researcher, director of the Centre for Sikh and Panjabi Studies at the University of Wolverhampton, and Religion Media Centre trustee. |
| 14:40 | Who’s in the room? Unsung heroes, untold stories, from your faith communities |
| 15:15 | Youth and Social Media Panel Students from the city’s schools and colleges share their media insights |
| 15:45 | Networking and coffee/tea break |
| 16:00 | Media Panel A panel featuring news editors and journalists from the West Midlands, chaired by Leo Devine, former BBC editor and leader of many different BBC regions. The panel includes:- -Gary Newby, news editor, ITV News Central -Lucy Collins, Senior News Editor, BBC West Midlands -Amardeep Bassey, community affairs reporter, based in Wolverhampton -Maira Butt, from The Independent and RMC specialist reporter on Islam -Deborah Hardiman, chief reporter, Wolverhampton Express and Star |
| 17:00 | The Changing Face of the Media An opportunity to catch up with the extraordinary growth of social media |
| 17:30 | Dal Darroch the Head of Diversity and Inclusion at the Football Association will talk about the FA’s engagement with faith communities |
| 18:00 | Plenary What we have learned and next steps |
| 18:15 | Networking and Refreshments |
| 19:00 | Ends |
