MEMBERS of Skipton's Muslim community, special guests and senior North Yorkshire Police officers came together one evening last week to break their fast at the end of the day during the month long Ramadan.

Both Chief Constable Lisa Winward and Deputy Chief Constable Mabs Hussain, along with a number of officers and police staff, shared iftar - the meal Muslim friends and family share together to break their fast during the period of Ramadan.

Also at the event was a representative of the company behind the design and manufacture of North Yorkshire Police's bespoke police hijab.

Organised by Sergeant Arfan Rahouf, the force's operational lead for faith and belief, members of the community came together with officers at the former Ings Primary School in Broughton Road to give thanks and share a number of delicious dishes prepared by Bradford based catering company MyLahore.

Ramadan, which ends this year on Sunday, May 1, is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer, reflection and community.

Speaking about the event Chief Constable Winward, who had been fasting throughout the day said Ramadan was a special time of the year.

“It’s an absolute pleasure to come together with the local community to share iftar," she said.

“Ramadan is a very special time of year which highlights the dedication and devotion of our Muslim community. It’s a time of reflection and gratitude for the good things in our lives, helping those less fortunate and kindness and sharing; something I have definitely felt here tonight."

She added: “I’d like to extend my thanks to everyone who has come along and also to Arfan for organising such a brilliant event and bringing us all together. Ramadan Mubarak.”

Special guests had also been invited along to break their fast, such as Nazia Nazir from PardaParadise, the company that supplies North Yorkshire Police’s bespoke police hijab. The PardaParadise team spent more than a year designing the hijab, making sure it conformed to vigorous safety standards and was fit for purpose.

Speaking about the project, Ms Nazir said: “I would like to thank North Yorkshire Police for giving me this opportunity to get involved in designing and producing a product which is close to our hearts here at PardaParadise.

"We have gone through the strictest guidelines with health and safety to ensure the police officers wearing the hijab would be comfortable and also safe wearing the head and neck piece hijab set. It’s taken our team over 12 months in design phase and then on to production here in the UK. I am humbled and proud to be involved in a project like this which has enabled PardaParadise to support Muslim officers.”

Sgt Rahouf, who was also involved in the hijab development, said: “I’m immensely proud of the hijab design and I would like to thank Nazia and her team for their continued support in providing the right hijab for Muslim female officers. It's really important for us at North Yorkshire Police to make sure that the uniform for each and every police officer is fit for purpose and I’m really pleased to say this design has now been made available to 43 officers across North Yorkshire Police, as well as other agencies nationally.

“As a police force we are committed to being more representative of the communities we serve and a more inclusive workforce. By coming together to share iftar we can deepen those relationships through a greater understanding of our shared values, which results in us being able to deliver a better service to all our communities.”

Sergeant Rahouf is tweeting about being serving police officer throughout Ramadan. Follow him @349Rahouf