REPRESENTATIVES of all the major religious faiths with followers in Harrow gathered at the Civic Centre on Thursday last week to launch the borough's Interfaith Festival.

The week-long festival, which begins on Sunday, is part of the borough's golden jubilee celebrations.

It will include a series of special events, as well as invitations to people of all faiths to attend regular worship at churches, temples, mosques and synagogues.

Punitha Perinparaja, chairman of the Harrow's Interfaith Council, said the festival was important for all citizens of the borough.

"Our work is particularly important because Harrow is celebrating 50 years," she said.

"We are celebrating the religious groups which make up Harrow's community.

"The Interfaith Council is a way of reaching out to different faiths."

The religions represented on the council, and taking part in the festival, are Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism, Bahai'ism, Jainism, and Zoroastrianism.

The festival starts at noon on Sunday with a "picnic pilgrimage" at St Mary's Church on Harrow Hill, the oldest place of worship in the borough. There will be tours of the church, music and a release of balloons by the Mayor. Bring your own food.

It will end with a party outside the St George's centre in St Ann's Road, Harrow, the following Sunday.

Events will be taking place throughout the week at the Civic Centre and at Harrow Museum and Heritage Centre, and a display of children's projects highlighting the importance of religious faith will be held at Harrow Baptist Church in College Road on July 3 and 4.

Other events will be held at the Tamil Community School, Whitmore High School, Porlock Avenue, South Harrow; Harrow Central Mosque, Station Road, Harrow; Trinity Church, Hindes Road, Harrow; St Alban's Church, The Ridgeway, North Harrow; Harrow Baptist Church, College Road, Harrow; Middlesex New Synagogue, Bessborough Road, Harrow; St John the Evangelist's Church, Church Road, Stanmore; Zoroastrian Centre, Alexandra Avenue, Rayners Lane; Friends' Meeting House (Quakers), Rayners Lane, Pinner; the Siddhashram Shakti Hindu Centre, Palmerston Road, Wealdstone; Grahame Park Community Centre, The Concourse, off Lanacre Avenue, Grahame Park Estate, Colindale; the Sri Sithi Vinayagar Temple, Palmerston Road, Wealdstone; the Sai School of Harrow, Stanburn First and Middle School, Abercorn Road, Stanmore; the KFIMC Husaini Centre, Wood Lane, Stanmore, and at Harrow Leisure Centre, Christchurch Avenue, Wealdstone.

Most of the places of worship ask visitors to attend events in modest and smart, if casual dress. Women attending Moslem services should cover their heads.