HICC Chairman Tariq Lone and Trustees Umer Sharif, Salim Shahzad and Mohammad Saleem presented the cheque to the fundraising team on Tuesday (March 13) before taking a tour of the charity.

The HICC in Waterloo Road, Romford, raised the money last month after opening its doors to the community as part of National Visit My Mosque Day.

And it also invited the hospice’s fundraising team to come along and raise awareness of its specialist end of life care and support services.

Umer Sharif, a Trustee of the Centre, said, “I love Saint Francis Hospice and having lived in Havering my whole life, it is the most important local charity to me.

“It has been great coming here today. The atmosphere is so calm and peaceful.

“We are delighted to be pairing with a charity that means something to all of us and this is just the start.”

As well as being a cultural hub for the Islamic community living in Havering, a team of volunteers from the HICC has been running a Soup Kitchen on Wednesdays at 6.30pm, providing meals, warm clothing and a friendly ear to the town’s homeless residents.

“We want everyone around us to live with dignity and the hospice shares that with us as it helps people to live with dignity in their last days,” said Umer.

Charlotte Oxby from the fundraising team, said, “We had a brilliant day at the Havering Islamic Cultural Centre’s open Mosque day event in February and everyone we met was so welcoming.

“The work they do in the community is so valuable and they are always looking at ways they can help others.

“We are very grateful for their support and we are looking forward to working in partnership with them.”