THE MUSLIM group behind a major religious festival in East Worldham welcomed East Hampshire District Council’s chairman ahead of a charity walk next month.

East Hampshire District Council chairman, Councillor Lynn Evans, visited the Ahmadiyya Muslim festival Jalsa Salana.

The annual celebration was attended by more than 30,000 worshippers.

The popular event took place over three days at Oakland Park.

Cllr Evans met key figures from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association and heard more about the Charity Walk for Peace being planned.

The five-mile fundraising walk will raise money for charities but will also serve to build bridges and strengthen links throughout the community.

Cllr Evans praised her hosts for the day and called for others to take part in the walk, to be held on Saturday, September 9.

“The Ahmadiyya Muslim Association works tirelessly to support charities and help the more vulnerable people in society, both here and abroad,” she said.

“The Charity Walk for Peace will not just raise money to support local families in East Hampshire but, just as importantly, will also help strengthen this community.

“The Ahmadiyya preach a message of love for all and hatred for none and they really put that message into practice.

“It was a pleasure and a privilege to go to Jalsa Salana to meet the organisers and learn more about the group.”

The Charity Walk for Peace will begin at 11am with a route from Bentley Station to the Alice Holt Forest Centre.

It will raise money for two charities – the Southern Domestic Abuse Service and HomeStart, which helps families with young children deal with the challenges they face.

Nationally, the Charity Walk for Peace, described as a walk in the service of humanity, was started in 1989 by Majlis Ansarullah, an auxiliary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community and since then has raised a total of more than £3.5m.

In the past five years alone, the Charity Walk for Peace has raised £1.3m.

The collected funds have been donated to 136 local, national and international charities, including £250,000 to the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Charitable Fund.

The walks are organised by volunteers and every penny raised goes to the nominated charities of participants.

To find out about the Charity Walk for Peace, visit www.charitywalkforpeace.org/upcoming-events