Hospital opens multi-faith centre

The multi-faith centre mirrors one opened at St Peter's Hospital last year

A hospital in Surrey has celebrated the opening of its multi-faith centre with a day-long conference.

Speakers from different faiths and backgrounds gathered at Ashford Hospital, in Ashford, to share their experiences and answer questions.

Facilities in the centre include a chapel, a prayer or quiet room, and an ablutions room for ritual washing before prayer.

Another centre at St Peter's Hospital, in Chertsey, opened last July.

Director of strategy for the Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust, Paul Bentley, said the centre had been designed for the use of all patients, staff, visitors and volunteers.

"The conference was a very important event to celebrate the contribution that all our communities make towards the care of all our patients, their families and all the other people involved in the daily life of the hospitals," he added.