You may not be aware, but here at BU we have a team of chaplains and faith advisers who offer confidential and non-judgemental support, guidance, prayer and a listening ear, regardless of whether you have faith or not.
Spaces for everyone
Our Faith & Reflection Centre is located on the first floor of Talbot House on Talbot Campus. It's open Monday-Friday, 8am-8pm. We also provide a dedicated space in our Bournemouth Gateway Building (room 401) for our community to contemplate and pray.
Depending on what you're looking for, our Faith & Reflection Centre is home to a range of spaces including:
A communal area open to all
A quiet room – designed to be used by our community for private meditation, prayer, or simply a quiet space to just be
A prayer room for students and staff of any faith tradition to use
A meeting room which can be booked via our chaplaincy team
An Islamic prayer room, a Kosher kitchen and an open kitchen
Events
In addition to various events that we hold throughout the year, we also host the following regular activities and all students and staff are invited:
Every Wednesday, 5pm to 6:30pm
International Student Global Café, Faith & Reflection Centre, First Floor, Talbot House
A space for international students to meet others and enjoy games and quizzes
Last Wednesday of the month, 7:30pm to 9pm
Buddhist chant & chat
Every Friday, 12:30pm to 1:30pm
Cake & chat with Sister Tama
Jummah prayers happen every Friday during term time in the Islamic prayer room
Meet the team
We have a fantastic Faith & Reflection Team in addition to several local faith advisers and community contacts.
Anglican Chaplain – Ruth Wells
Ruth is the senior chaplain for BU/AUB. She is an ordained priest in the Church of England but is around to support students and staff of all faiths and none. She enjoys hearing people's stories - especially over a cup of coffee! She'd love to chat to you and hear your story too - you can contact her via email at [email protected].
International Chaplain – Sue Burt
Sue is particularly responsible for welcoming and providing support to international students. She works for the Christian organisation Friends International which seeks to provide hospitality and activities for international students of all faiths and of none. Sue is at BU on Wednesdays and runs our Global Café - you can contact her at [email protected].
Islamic Faith Adviser – Sister Tama
Sister Tama is amazingly active in the Bournemouth area, supporting those in need. You can contact Tama via email at [email protected].
In addition, we have a range of wise voices from within our local faith communities who act as faith advisors/chaplains on a ‘as and when needed’ basis
Buddhist Faith Adviser – Gary Davidson
Jewish Faith Adviser – Rabbi Bentzion Alperowitz
Sikh Faith Advisor – Kam Prior
Catholic Chaplain / Assistant Catholic Chaplain – Fr Francisco Hintikka / Br Edmund Roffey
Quaker Advisor – Ren Diallo
Salvation Army Advisor – Sheridan Hylton
Church of England Associate Chaplain – Rev Nick Wells
If you would like support from one of these advisors, or from an advisor of a religious tradition not named here, you can get in contact by emailing [email protected].
If you’re looking for a calming place on campus to just sit and have a cup of tea, or you’re looking for a bit of headspace, our Faith & Reflection area is open to all, regardless of whether you have faith or not. And if you happen to see any of the team whilst you’re there, stop and say hello!
