The Haberdashers’ Company recently hosted ‘The Golden Conversation’, an insightful and thought-provoking event centred around the theme of “Loving Your Neighbour in 21st Century Britain.”
Featuring perspectives from two faith leaders, Imam Mohammed Mahmoud OBE and Reverend Graham Hunter, the event aimed to explore Christian and Muslim perspectives on serving the common good. Attendees, including members of the Haberdashers’ Livery Company, staff, and students from Haberdasher schools, engaged in a dynamic discussion that delved into the complexities of modern-day community and faith.
Staff from Haberdashers Academies Trust South (HATS) central staff found ‘The Golden Conversation’ to be a thought-provoking event. They highlighted the engagement of students and the insightful discussions as the event’s highlights. One attendee commented, “The passion and energy of the contributions from the other students was inspiring. I loved how my whole school thought it was going to be a big debate but turned out something different. I loved how they asked us to answer certain questions.”
Similarly, a Year 12 student from Haberdashers’ Abraham Darby, part of Haberdashers West Midlands Academies Trust, found the event insightful, enlightening, and articulate. They enjoyed hearing opinions from other students during the response section.
The student remarked, “Hearing the opinions of other people during the response section was really enlightening.”
Their suggestion for improvement was to include speakers from other religions – advice which was taken on board during The Golden Conversation in 2025, when the Chief Rabbi was invited to speak, and to address more challenging topics.
