An East Lancashire mosque is celebrating its success after collecting a prize at the British Beacon Mosque Awards 2024.

Nelson Community Mosque, in Bradshaw Street, collected the ‘Best Women’s Service’ award and was commended for its commitment to empowering women, fostering inclusivity and creating impactful services for women in the community.

The awards celebrate excellence among mosques, madrassahs, Imams, Alimahs, and volunteers across 11 categories, with independent judges selecting the winners.

The mosque’s success was highlighted with a specific focus on providing tailored services for women, including educational workshops, health awareness sessions, counselling support and opportunities for spiritual development.

Shaukat Warraich, chief executive of Faith Associates, commending the mosque’s efforts, said: “The Nelson Community Mosque has demonstrated outstanding dedication in the field of women’s services. With over 60,000 votes cast online for this year’s British Beacon Mosque Awards, and tough decisions made by the judges, this recognition highlights the exceptional work being done. It’s heartening to see British mosques leading by example, bringing communities together and addressing critical societal issues.”

Providing spiritual education through structured Qur’an and Fiqh classes, as well as other short courses, the mosque was praised for seeing more than 300 women attending and enhancing their confidence in practicing and sharing their faith.

Additionally, the Chat and Chai gatherings were said to provide a great platform for women to connect, share experiences and foster meaningful friendships.

The mosque also offered a “Teens of Faith” programme which enhanced emotional wellbeing and social skills for teenage girls to express themselves.

Also, through food bank initiatives, it has helped more than 400 women in the past few months alone, including 225 single mothers.

Also, family-focused services such as the family wellbeing service, parenting workshops and marriage counselling were said to have positively impacted women by providing them with the tools and strategies needed to build strong, healthy family relationships.

Source: Lancashire Telegraph