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Good morning. As the summer draws to a close, the costs of living crisis is becoming ever more pressing, with headlines every day about how bad things could get over the winter. According to various reports, police forces are preparing for surges in shoplifting and burglary, whilst in the words of one news agency, the new Prime Minister Liz Truss is facing “an 80s playlist of recession, unrest and runaway prices”. The risk of a breakdown in society is becoming all too real, and as some of us who work at the grassroots may know, community cohesion can be tested to its very limits when some people feel they have nothing to lose. However, as we saw during the pandemic, faith communities in the UK can come together well in times of crisis, offering a safety net for those who would otherwise fall through the gaps in wider society. I’m currently in Singapore at an international conference. Faith and interfaith communities from the UK and around the world have gathered together to discuss the role they can play in building cohesive societies. Interfaith can sometimes feel like it exists in its own echo chamber of do-gooders who are simply talking to the willing. However, this conference is about social action. It’s a collaborative event supported by the Singaporean Government, local faith communities, civic society and academia all working together to ensure that faith and religion is actively part of the solutions. Such collaborations don’t happen by accident. It involves working together with a common purpose, building trusting and lasting relationships between organisations, and developing ideas in unison. Compassion also plays an important role, being able to understand matters from another person’s perspective even if you don’t necessarily agree with their decisions and viewpoints. One example of such a project in Singapore is Harmony Circles, groups of local representatives from faith communities, minorities, civic society and others who come together to improve their neighbourhoods. It’s about building bonds of trust at the local level. It’s a simple idea, but one which has a lasting impact throughout society. I like to think of it as a living example of the 10th Sikh Guru’s teachings to “recognise the whole of humanity as one”, and it’s something that the British cohort of community organisers and interfaith leaders at the conference have found fascinating as a model. With Britain facing what is likely to be a very difficult winter, I believe that faith communities will once again step up to the mark and offer support to those who need it. However, we should also not be afraid of looking at collaborative approaches around the world, learning from them and perhaps even emulating them. If we can work together effectively, I’d hope that we can all be part of the solution.