Oldham business leaders of different faiths take on fast

The non-Muslims each attempted to go a day going without any food or drink from dawn until dusk and had varying degrees of success.

The leaders then broke their fast at the Asian Business Leaders Iftar meal, which took place at Blue Tiffin restaurant in Royton.

One of the five pillars of Islam is to fast during the Holy Month of Ramadan, in a bid to focus on kindness, sharing and doing good for others.

The purpose of the event was to promote understanding between the faiths to make Oldham a more cohesive community.

Janine Smith of the Greater Manchester GC Business Growth Hub did not struggle to fast, saying: "I don’t really think about eating until nine o’clock at night, anyway."

Ms Smith had to speak to 250 people during a conference that day without any sustenance.

Frank Rothwell, a well-known business leader in Oldham and the main speaker at the meal, was able to cope well due to his previous experience being on a television programme with Bear Grylls, where he lost three stones.

Mr Rothwell also had other previous experiences to draw on, saying: "I once worked in Abu Dhabi when it was just a village and became aware of Ramadan when I noticed that the Muslim lads working in the hot sun were not eating and so we knocked off work between 11am and 3pm, at the hottest part of the day."

Craig Barratt, director and founder of IT firm Foresight, admitted he struggled without water on a humid day.

Muzahid Khan from Asian Business Leaders explained to the guests the significance of Ramadan and the similarities between all faiths.

He said: "We see everyone around this table as a friend and during the Holy Month Muslims often invite people to their homes to meet their families.

"We used to organise these meetings often, but obviously Covid put a stop to that.

"We are so pleased to see people again."

Ms Smith, Mr Rothwell and Mr Barratt all felt that they had benefited from their fast and realised how hard it was to complete a day of fasting.