31st March 2025
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Community Iftar - March 2025
After weeks of preparation, around 100 people from our staff, students, families and wider community joined together for the annual MHS and V6 Iftar.
Iftar is the evening meal during Ramadan, the Islamic holy month when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset.
The school staff welcomed attendees from various faiths and backgrounds. Ramadan, which began on 28 February and ends on 30 March focuses on self-improvement, reflection, and charitable acts, culminating in the Eid al-Fitr celebrations.
Headteacher Vanetta (Ben) Spence stressed the importance of supporting Muslim pupils and staff during this period. She said "I am proud to be the Headteacher of such an inclusive and supportive school, and we recognise the importance of enabling our students to be able to observe their faith during Ramadan. The annual MHS Iftar has taken place during Ramadan for a number of years now, and each year it grows in popularity. It is heartening to see so many members from our community, of all faiths and none, enjoy the Iftar celebration. Events like this remind us of how important it is to come together as a school community. Thank you once again to everyone who contributed, attended and helped bring the evening to life."
The event was planned and hosted by our 'All Different, All Equal' DEI Enrichment group, led by Mrs Rowe, and co-facilitated by our fantastic Sixth Form Head Student team, who were out in force to support with coordination and activities throughout the evening. A particular highlight was seeing our Head Chef, Mr MacDonald, learning to make Somali samosas and falafel under the expert guidance of Ms Ibrahim – together they cooked up a storm and provided delicious side dishes to accompany the wonderful food catered by Barwaaqo on Stapleton Road.
The atmosphere was further enriched by a beautiful call to prayer delivered by Mr Jamegay, one of our parents – a moment that brought reflection and unity to the gathering. It was a truly special evening, full of connection, celebration, and cultural exchange.
The hall looked stunning thanks to the efforts of Mrs Mukit, Mrs Rayment, Ms El Jarad and the V6 Head Students, who also worked hard to organise our speakers. We were privileged to hear from Abdulkadir on Iftar and community, Mr Elsharif who offered a personal perspective on Iftar, and Tara Miran who spoke powerfully about the importance of cultural sharing and what this means for us at MHS. We were also incredibly proud of our student speakers, Salwa Caraye and Ruqayya Adeleppo, who delivered their reflections with confidence and clarity.
V6 students also raised over £600 for Cakes for Syria on the night – an outstanding achievement.
Mrs Rowe, Assistant Headteacher, said of the event "I just wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone who helped to make last night's Iftar successful. It was the result of a lot of people working really hard in a lot of different areas - I am hugely appreciative of all who contributed their time and energy before, during and after the event."
