Derby County Community Trust opened the doors at Pride Park Stadium to host an Iftar event - where attendees broke fast alongside an evening of prayer during Ramadan for the first time.

Ramandan is part of the Islamic calendar, which is recognised by Muslims as a month of fasting (sawm), prayer (salah), reflection, and community.

We welcomed members of the public from Muslim and non-Muslim communities, who came together for an evening of prayer and celebration. Over 200 guests from across Derby attended the event held at Pride Park Stadium.

Derby County’s Jake Rooney and Ebou Adams, who is currently taking part in the religious month of Ramadan, also attended. They listened to the guest speakers and spoke to attendees, before joining in for the food served on the night. With such a great turn-out, it highlighted the power of community spirit.

‘’The event was a huge success.Tto see so many familiar and new faces attend the evening was brilliant. I would like to thank Albatross Cars, community leaders, Macmillan, Derby County Community Trust and Derby County Football Club staff for bringing it all together. We now look forward to planning and preparing for next year’s event. We hope to continue growing this event and inviting more and more people along the way. A final thank you goes to the night's Imam and his guest speakers for taking us through the service’’.

Adam Woolley | Ramadan Event Co-ordinator, Derby County Community Trust

Derby County owner David Clowes and CEO Stephen Pearce were also invited to the event along with the PFA and Leader of the Council (amongst many councillors).

“It was great to see so many people turn out for the event, it is such an important time of the year for many Muslims in and around Derby. To see the fantastic work put in by the staff at the Trust come together was amazing to see. We look forward to hosting events like this again in the future.”

Amelia Jones | EDI Lead, Derby County Community Trust

The event was largely populated by participants on the Community Trust's Wellbeing For All project, which is funded by Macmillan Cancer Support, and aims to support ethnic minority communities to become more aware of the signs and symptoms of cancer. By working in these communities, the project aims to breakdown barriers and ensure all communities feel welcome throughout the football club.

Derby County hope to annually mark Ramadan with an event of this nature and provide a space in the future for everyone to come together once again and celebrate in the heart of the football club.